The Handyman
by merick
Summary: AH story between our star-crossed lovers, Sookie and Eric. Set in Bon Temps. Sookie returns from a trip to find her Grandmother missing, and a tall, blond stranger staying at her house. A story of love and trust, and moving beyond past events towards healing. HEA guaranteed.
1. Chapter 1

It was dark when Arlene dropped her off at her front door. She dragged her suitcase up the two concrete front steps and dug her keys out of her jacket pocket. The little apartment door swung open with its usual squeak and greeted Sookie with a breath of stale air. She knew she was going to have to prop a window open a little that night to air the place out after a week away. She'd taken care to make sure she hadn't left anything perishable in the fridge or on the counter, and she'd emptied the garbage so at least she didn't have to deal with that, considering that it had obviously been hot while she'd been away. Turning on the light she walked over to the little window air conditioner in the living room and toggled the switch to the 'on' position, turning the thermostat to the right just until the little fan whirred to life. It was a small luxury that Sookie allowed herself; even though the electricity was included in her rent.

Sam was a good landlord: in fact, he was a great landlord. There was no way that Sookie could have afforded the rent on a waitress' salary and tips, but Sam gave her a deal in exchange for cutting the small patches of grass in front of the other units, looking after the flower beds for the residents who couldn't or didn't, and sweeping up the walks. Sookie didn't want to cost Sam any more than she absolutely had to. She knew she was lucky. Her Gran had insisted that she move into town about six months back; not that they weren't getting along, Gran just wanted Sookie to be closer to work; since her car wasn't very reliable, and Gran hated Sookie coming home alone, late at night in the dark. Sookie was pretty sure that Gran had some ulterior motives for encouraging her to move; mostly that she wanted Sookie to meet some other people her age, and maybe start dating. Sookie spent a great deal of time alone when she wasn't working and though her Gran wouldn't nag her about it, Sookie knew that she didn't like it. Gran had also been part of persuading Sookie to take the holiday she had just returned from.

Sam had decided to close Merlotte's, his bar, for a week. Not because he had an infestation (as some of the idiots on her brother's road crew were saying), but because he wanted to sand down the floors, and the bar, and repaint everything. Sookie had offered to stay and help but Sam was having it done by professionals. It all seemed very convenient when Arlene then announced that she had found a great deal on a cruise vacation if she could get someone to go with her last minute. It was a steal as far as Sookie could tell. And she'd never been on a real vacation, and definitely never on a cruise ship. The biggest boat she'd ever been on had been a Paddlewheeler in the Red River, on a gambling and booze cruise that Arlene had dragged her on. Sookie was starting to see a theme as she thought about it. Gran had offered her the extra few hundred dollars that she'd needed for the ticket, and off she and Arlene had driven, suitcases in the back of Arlene's old pickup. Sookie had hardly had time to even consider what a cruise would be like before she was on the boat. Perhaps that had been for the best, or she would have talked herself out of it.

Sookie was used to attention, sort of. She was a pretty girl with long blonde hair (that she generally wore in a pony tail), blue eyes and a well-endowed chest with enough curves to look great in a bathing suit. When she'd lived with her Gran she'd often sit out in the yard in a bikini from the first day of spring until the leaves started to turn. She felt she looked better with a tan. Since she'd moved though, she'd been pretty self-conscious about exposing herself quite that much in the little complex where she lived. On her days off she'd always go out to see her Gran and take advantage of the privacy to get some sun; the cruise however, seemed to expect that level of exposure from most everyone. For the first day she'd kept a wrap around herself, tucked away under the awning of an umbrella but Arlene, always comfortable with her body, had laid herself out by the poolside, taking the offered drinks and the attention. Sookie began to feel more self-conscious being covered up and different than everyone else and had finally found the courage to unwrap. The uncomfortable attention started then and Sookie fought against her own anxiety of the eyes on her. At least (she reasoned) no one here knew her, or knew any of the rumors about her. And not that Sookie wanted to doubt Arlene's assurances to the contrary, but it seemed like everyone on that cruise was looking to hook up.

Needless to say, Sookie was happy to be home.

It was too late to call her Gran; she'd have been in bed hours before. That knowledge made Sookie feel a little sad. Gran had always been her lifeline; when her parents had died, when things had happened with Uncle Bartlett, when school marks had begun to sink, and when dreams had begun to fail in favor of panic attacks. The little bottle of white pills had made its way back from her purse to her beside table. Before she slept, Sookie unpacked all her clothing and sorted everything for the laundry, and replaced her toiletries in the small bathroom. The suitcase even found its way back into the hall closet. Her mail (mostly advertisements) was opened or recycled, bills set in the order they were due on the kitchen table to be taken care of in the morning. Only when everything was in its place did Sookie feel calm enough to crawl into bed and sleep, knowing she'd call her Gran in the morning.

When Gran didn't pick up in the morning Sookie rationalized her absence away by saying to herself that she was likely out in the garden. Adele Stackhouse loved to garden. Sookie kept that picture in her head as she took a load of laundry to the complex laundry room, along with her book, wanting to get one load done before she went into work to see how Merlotte's looked for her lunch shift. She tried her Gran again before she left for work. There was still no answer, and Gran had never invested in an answering machine. It sat in the back of her mind as she drove over to the bar, and while she served the patrons. It was too busy to sneak away to make a phone call for a few hours; and Sookie didn't want to bother Sam for a break. Truth was, she needed the hours and the tips to rebuild her meager savings after the indulgence of the cruise.

Besides being her landlord, Sam was her boss. She'd met him when he'd moved to Bon Temps about three years earlier. Bon Temps was an insular sort of place; most families having been there for generations back to the civil war. And most families were pretty proud of that. Strangers weren't always embraced, neither were damaged girls who had panic attacks. Nobody spoke about the situations that caused the anxiety; at least not in public. So Sam made his inroads with alcohol and by buying an old apartment complex, fixing it up, and offering affordable homes, and Sookie kept her head down and got her orders right and smiled even when she felt like running and hiding. It hadn't taken long for Sam to become a valuable member of the community, Sookie, well she was on the fringes, and that was generally okay by her. Somehow, some way, Sam had taken a chance on her; gratitude didn't even begin to express how Sookie felt.

Lunch service never seemed to end, and sort of rolled into dinner service with hardly any time to rest and Sam had asked her if she might want to stay a little longer. She couldn't ever say no to Sam, but she did try her Gran's number one more time in between, and still didn't get an answer. One of the little white pills came out of the bag she left in Sam's office when she touched up her face. She left a message on her brother's phone and tucked her cell phone into the pocket of her green apron, just in case and checked her smile in the mirror.

Jason came in with some of his friends at about 8:30 pm. It looked as though he'd been home between when his shift with the parish had ended and his arrival at Merlotte's. Sookie felt a spike of anger that he hadn't bothered to return her phone call since he'd obviously had time to shower, shave and douse himself in body spray.

"Hey Jason." She was using her happy waitress voice.

"Hi Sook. How was the trip?"

"It was nice, hey, have you talked to Gran recently?"

"Yeah, I talked to her the other day."

"I just haven't been able to get ahold of her."

"She's fine Sook. I was just out there. Garden looks great, I'm sure she just turned the phone down and forgot to turn it up again."

While that wasn't a bad explanation Sookie didn't think it was the reason Gran hadn't been answering her phone.

"She knew I was coming back yesterday, I expected to hear from her."

"She's fine Sook. You'll see her tomorrow."

"Can you go by tonight Jason?"

"I kinda got some plans Sook."

Of course he did, dressed up, out at the bar; he was looking for company. Why not? He was a good-looking man, never at a loss for female company.

"I can go by tomorrow if you like Sookie?" Jason's best friend Hoyt offered. He'd always been kind to Sookie; kind of like he had an idea of what was going on in her head some days, like he understood where she'd come from. He was a sweet man, one of the few, Sookie thought, who never had an unkind word to say about anyone, in their presence or not.

"It's okay Hoyt, I'll go by in the morning myself. But thanks for the offer. Let me get you guys your beer." The waitress smile was back with the flip of her ponytail as she spun on her heel.

Sookie would have driven out after her shift, but she was so tired, and her feet hurt and her Gran wouldn't have been very happy to have been woken up by the noisy car and the floodlights off the back porch. But for the exhaustion Sookie probably wouldn't have slept at all, but as it was she was able to, and only woke in the morning when her neighbour hustled her kids out the door to get to school, slamming the screen door. So, with a cup of coffee and a piece of toast with jam (and after washing up the dishes and putting them in the drying rack), Sookie dressed and headed off to her Gran's house on Hummingbird Lane.

Gran's car wasn't in the carved out car park at the front of the house, it was empty, but it was mostly for guests, and Sookie when she came over so it wasn't unusual. Sookie parked, but even before she got out of her car she could hear the sound of a gas lawnmower around the back. Gran shouldn't have been pushing one of those around, and she doubted Jason was up early to do it. (Even though he rightly should have been) So Sookie stalked around to the back of the house, not to yell at her Gran, but to take up the task herself. But it wasn't Gran pushing the old mower around, greyish smoke belching from the fuel/oil mixture in the engine.

He was beautiful walking there in the rising sun, tall, blond hair mussed up with the sweat of pushing around the weight, jeans slung low around his hips, shirtless, skin glowing, exposing a taper to his waist that reminded Sookie of the descriptions in the romance novels she borrowed from the library. The vision stopped her in her tracks for a moment; until she realized that the only vehicle she could see around the back was an unfamiliar pickup truck, not her Gran's sedan.

"Hey!" She yelled, trying to get his attention over the noise. He didn't seem to notice her.

"Hey!" She yelled a little louder.

As he made the turn at the end of his pass of the lawn he became aware of her, whether by sight or her hollering she couldn't be certain. But he let the motor shut off and held up a hand in greeting.

"Hi!" He called back. "You must be Miss Stackhouse. Adele told me all about you." He took a few steps towards her, first holding his hand out to offer to shake hers, then, realizing it was fairly grimy from the yard work, he pulled a rag from his back pocket and rubbed off the dirt and grass fragments first.

"Who are you? Where's my Gran?" Usually Sookie tried her very hardest to be polite, but the stress of worry overrode that normalcy. He stopped in his tracks before he got close enough to shake her hand.

"I'm Eric, I'm sorry, your Grandmother isn't here."

"Where is she?"

"I'm not sure. She didn't say where she was going."

"What do you mean she didn't say? When did she leave?" Sookie was still hoping that she had only just missed her, that maybe she'd gone out to meet a friend, or to the library. Sadly though, she was starting to feel a little frantic.

"She's been gone since the Sunday before last."

"Last Sunday!" It was the day after Sookie had left with Arlene, so her Gran had been gone just over a week, as it was now Tuesday. "What did you do to her?" She could feel the shaking of a panic attack starting to overwhelm her.

"I didn't do anything to her." Eric's voice stayed even as he spoke.

"Tell me where my Gran is right now or I'm going to call the Sheriff." Sookie took a few steps backwards from the man and dug her cell phone out of her purse. She had the Sheriff's office on speed dial, Gran had insisted when she started driving alone late at night. She thumbed the number and pressed the phone to her ear.

Eric put both hands up in front of himself and stepped away from Sookie, she noted the horrified expression on his face as he did so. The office assistant at the Sheriff's office answered the phone.

"Reynard County Sheriff's Office."

"I need help, something's happened to my Grandmother." Sookie stuttered out, not realizing just how confusing her plea was.

"Who is this?" The voice at the other end asked.

"Sookie Stackhouse." She gasped, trying to catch a breath as she felt her heart fluttering. "There's a man at my Gran's house, I don't know who he is. Oh God." She left the phone sag a little away from her ear, her other hand clutching at her chest.

"Are you okay Miss?" Eric's voice sounded as if it was coming from the end of a tunnel.

"I'm, I'm" The phone dropped to the ground.

"You're hyperventilating Miss. Please, you need to sit down, or calm down. I'll get a paper bag." And he rushed off into the house as Sookie sank to the freshly mowed grass beside her phone. She didn't have time just then to think about why he seemingly had a key to her Gran's house and how he knew his way around the kitchen.

Once the panic attacks took hold of Sookie it was hard for her to think rationally. She'd forgotten about the phone completely, and an inflated paper bag was pushed into her hands before she heard the sounds of the sirens off in the distance. Focus, she told herself, focus on something. She began breathing back and forth into the paper bag, rapidly at first, but gradually slowing.

"That's it, just breathe Miss, just concentrate on your breathing." She felt a solid, but gentle hand light on her back as she braced herself to avoid pitching forward. Her ears began to clear, sounds became more readily discernable, and the faintness in her head began to clear. Just in time to hear the screeching of tires on the gravel drive, and car doors slamming.

"Get your hands off her!" The voice was familiar, Andy Bellefleur, the Sheriff of the parish. The hand she had felt was suddenly gone.

"I'm not trying to hurt her sir! I was just trying to help."

When Sookie was able to look up, paper bag still pressed to her face she saw Eric, well away from her, hands in the air and Andy, gun drawn on him. She struggled to stand, finding herself between the two men.

"Sookie? You okay?"

"Yeah Andy, thanks, I am now." Her voice sounded terribly weak in to her own ears.

"Y'all just come on over here then Sookie." He motioned with his left hand, only briefly taken off the gun.

"I swear. I'm just here to look after the house." Eric called out.

"Then where is Adele Stackhouse?"

"She didn't tell me where she was going, she just asked me to house sit for her. I've been looking after the yard work for her for almost six months now."

"Six months?" Sookie whispered to herself, confused.

"She said her granddaughter had just moved out and she wanted a little help to keep the place up."

Andy looked over at Sookie, and Sookie shook her head and shrugged her shoulders.

"Just sit down on the ground okay mister?"

Eric let his arms relax and sat down cross-legged on the grass. He kept his eyes on Sookie and Andy, the latter of who was just starting to lower his weapon. With that free left hand he clicked on the walkie on his shoulder.

"Kevin, get out here to the Stackhouse place!" He hollered into the mic.

He received a crackled response.

"Just coming around the bend on Hummingbird Sheriff." And Sookie heard the second cruiser pull up. Kevin ran over, puffing a little bit in the Louisiana heat.

"Kevin, go check the house."

"What am I looking for Sheriff?"

"Adele Stackhouse."

"Yes sir!"

It was likely the most interesting thing that Kevin Ellis had gotten to do all week, perhaps all month. Bon Temps was not a hub of crime; unless you counted high school students + baseball bats + mailboxes, and the occasional bar fight (which generally sorted itself out before Andy got there). Sookie's gaze yo-yo'd back and forth between Eric on the ground, and the back porch door where Kevin had headed towards the house. When the porch had door opened Sookie noticed that it hadn't squeaked and protested as it usually did. She wondered briefly if Jason had finally oiled it, but with another look back at Eric, she thought that perhaps that might have been his doing; if he'd been telling the truth. The minutes that it took to search the small house were the longest in Sookie's life; at least they felt like it just then. She could feel her heart pounding in her ears; but at least she was confident that she wasn't going to faint.

Kevin poked his head out and waved.

"All clear Andy!"

"Sookie, do you want to go inside, make sure everything is the way it should be?"

She nodded, eyes on Eric, looking for some kind of hint of nervousness, or bravado. She found nothing but a small expectant smile. She couldn't help but smile back a little. He didn't look like a criminal or a murderer, and sitting there still without his shirt made her insides flip flop just a little; for the moment she wasn't worried about her Gran.

The house was pristine, as it always was. Things in the kitchen were put away; except for a coffee stained mug, a plate and a knife in the sink, someone's breakfast leftovers that hadn't been washed yet. The counters were wiped down, and the fridge had a pitcher of Gran's lemonade, a peach pie (if Sookie was any judge of what was under the plastic wrap) and the regular condiments, leftovers and fruits and vegetables. The only disarray was the torn open pack of brown paper bags left on the kitchen table, obviously where Eric had tossed them after retrieving one for her. There was a list of chores on the counter, in her Gran's handwriting, and nothing out of the ordinary.

The main room was dusted, the throw folded over the right side back of the couch, the remote control (Jason had given Gran his old TV with the remote when he'd bought his new 40 inch flat screen) in place on the side table. All of Gran's knick-knacks were where they should be. Her sewing box was beside her chair, packed away neatly. All the photos were still on the mantle, Jason, her, their parents, Gran and Grandpa. Nothing was out of place.

Sookie was a little more nervous about looking in the bedrooms.

The first room she checked was her old one. While a lot of her personal touches had moved with her into Bon Temps proper the old quilt was still on the bed, Sookie remembered when Gran had put it together, patches from all sorts of leftover sewing projects combined to make a warm blanket for the fall and winter nights. The white rails of the bed still shone in certain areas where the paint had been polished by hands holding and spinning over them. The trunk at the foot still held what Gran had called Sookie's hope chest. It was carefully packed with linens, and lace, all wrapped in white tissue, ready for her to set up her own house. Sookie had used to think that it was a silly gesture on her Gran's part, but as she had grown up it had become obvious that it wasn't sentimentality that had put it together, but sentiment. The closet still held some of Sookie's little used clothing; winter coats that wouldn't be needed for a few months yet, some fancy dresses for church, and some more memories, clothes that Gran had sewed for her when she'd been a child. Her Mom's wedding dress was in there as well. Sookie ran a hand over the tissue that it was hanging in, holding back a little sob. Kevin was only just out in the hall, and Sookie didn't want him to hear her fall apart.

The next room she investigated was her Gran's room. She remembered crawling into the old brass bed when she was a girl, wakened by nightmares, or just unable to sleep at all. As in her room, the quilt was the one she remembered always being there, an antique lace, ivory in color, threadbare in a few spots, spread out without a wrinkle every morning when Gran got up for the day. The curtains were drawn, which was a little unusual, Gran always opened them when she got up, to let the day in she always said. Her hairbrush and mirror were on her little vanity, and the small photos, in silver frames, were still by the bed. Herself and Jason, school pictures from their early grades. Sookie couldn't remember which ones exactly. Everything else was neat as a pin. Sookie couldn't tell if anything was missing from the closet. Her Gran had never had an abundance of clothing, but she bought herself new things now and again, and cleared out things that hadn't been worn in a long while. It all looked completely benign, there were certainly no signs of a struggle, and Kevin would have noticed something like that. It was starting to look as if her Gran had just up and vanished. But there was one more room to check, Jason's old room, just up the stairs, his was the only occupied room up there, or rather had been. And there was a second bathroom up there as well, which meant Jason hadn't needed to share space with ladies' shampoos and makeup and lotions and those other feminine things that made most men a little squeamish. Once he had moved out they'd closed up the windows and sort of left the place alone, the two of them not really needing the space, so it had been a while since Sookie had even gone up the stairs, at least six months, because the suitcases were stored up in the attic, and she'd had to collect one when she'd moved to town.

Forcing herself to go forward she took the steps very slowly, hand clutching the railing a little more tightly than she probably needed to. Something about the progression felt ominous, even though it had no reason to. The door was closed, and Sookie put her hand on the worn knob and turned it slowly, pushing forward as she did. Instead of the closed up air that she sort of expected she smelled, soap? Pushing on the door it swung open. The curtains were pulled back, and the windows were opened a bit, held in place with an old piece of wood, keeping them from slamming closed. There was a laptop computer on Jason's old school desk, and a basket of fresh laundry, folded (something Jason would never have done), ready to be put away. The room was neat, but quite obviously lived in, recently, currently, lived in. Sookie backed away.

"Anything wrong Miss Sookie?" She'd forgotten about Kevin.

"He's living here." She said out loud, as much to reassure herself of the fact as to inform Kevin.

"We should go talk to Andy then."

"Yeah, we should. I still don't know where my Gran is."

Outside Eric was still sitting cross-legged on the ground with Andy staring down at him. His hands were folded in his lap and he was looking at the house, watching as Sookie and Deputy Ellis emerged. Sookie thought that he seemed to have a sad smile on his face watching them.

"Anything?" Andy asked them both. But Sookie didn't answer him; she was looking at Eric and directed her words to him.

"You've been living here?" She asked.

"For about a week. Your Grandmother asked me to stay here while she was gone, I'm sorry I didn't mean to disturb anything."

"You didn't. Everything is just the way it always was. Well, Jason's room is cleaner and smells better than I recall." She tried to smile. "And you really don't know where she went, my Gran?"

"Miss Stackhouse, I am so sorry, I just don't know. I just thought she was maybe going to visit family, or a friend, I never thought to ask, she'd gone away overnight before, I never thought anything of it."

"She had?"

"Once or twice. She didn't tell you?"

"No, she didn't. And she didn't mention you either."

"She spoke about you all the time Miss Stackhouse. I can't imagine why she didn't tell you about this trip, or about me."

"Can we talk about her for awhile? About my Gran?"

"If the Sheriff here will give me leave to get up."

Andy sort of snorted and screwed up his mouth in a bit of a sneer but nodded so Eric stood. Sookie got a better idea of just how tall he was, half a foot or more over Andy, and a foot at least over her. Up close, now that she could focus on him, Sookie could see just how very enchanting his face was. His lips were soft looking; not at all sunburnt or chapped as such things normally got working outdoors all the time. His smile curved over perfect teeth. And his eyes, they were a bright blue, gleaming like a pure azure sky, so alive, and so unlike the men who usually spent their days outdoors doing handyman jobs. And those eyes were staring right at her.

"Sookie, we'll call all the hospitals in the area, we'll put a BOLO out on her car. We will find her."

"Thank you Sheriff."

"Do you want a ride back into town Sookie?"

"No, I think I want to stay and talk to Eric for a little while first. See if I can figure out anything."

"Are you sure Sookie?"

She hadn't taken her eyes off of Eric, and she tried to make her voice sound as brave as she could.

"Yes, thank you, I am."


	2. Chapter 2

Part 2

Eric had excused himself to wash up quickly after his yard work, and Sookie heard his feet bounding up the stairs, and the clunking and rattling of the pipes as he turned on the shower. While he was away Sookie took a closer look at the notes stuck to the fridge; her Gran's best organizing system. There were phone numbers for the doctor, the post office, the bank, and the local pharmacy. There were coupons for milk from the local market, and a recipe for blueberry cobbler, which had obviously been cut out of the newspaper. In the little cubby below the phone; still hung on the kitchen wall the way it had always been with Gran's low backed stool beside it, were the utility bills, all tri-folded, the way they came in the mail, all paid and put away until their next move, up to the attic in a file box. Gran kept everything for seven years; that's what the accountant had told her she had to do (in terms of bills and the like), after that she burned them.

"Did you find anything?" The voice from behind Sookie startled her, and she turned around quickly, nearly upending the stool as she did. Eric dove to catch it, to keep it and her from ending up on the floor. For the second time she felt his strong hand on her shoulder, and again it wasn't threatening, as such things often were for her.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. Your Gran says I'm too quiet for my own good."

"She does have good hearing. Jason was never able to sneak in after curfew without her meeting him at the door." She smiled at the memory and worked at getting her feet firmly underneath her again, but still could only look Eric straight in the neck unless she craned her own upwards.

"Yeah, I can see that in her." Eric smiled, and he looked really genuine when he did it Sookie noted. "I feel so bad that I didn't ask her more details about where she was going. I'm sorry." He added.

"You have to stop apologizing to me Eric."

"I just get the feeling I have a lot to apologize for."

"Well then, I'm sorry for earlier, panicking like I did and calling the Sheriff."

"Hey, I might have done the same thing if I'd found some stranger at my house."

"But you were mowing the lawn; not exactly a criminal activity."

"I suppose not." He shrugged.

"Sometimes I get anxious." She offered by way of explanation, trying to match her smile to his, to make it all seem like it was the most ordinary thing in the world, to panic occasionally. Looking into his blue eyes Sookie just got the sense of how easy it could be to talk to Eric, or just be around him. He just kind of inspired trust, and Sookie couldn't say that about too many people. He was sort of like Hoyt she thought, and that was hard to sort out because she'd known Hoyt pretty much her whole life (since he'd tagged along home with Jason in Grade one), and she'd known Eric less than an hour. "How did you know where the paper bags were?"

"Your Grandmother showed me. She made a point of it in fact."

"But she didn't tell you why?"

"No, but I can see now why she thought it was important."

"Yeah, sometimes I need them." Sookie heard her voice trailing off.

"Why don't you sit down, I'll get some sun tea. I haven't figured out your Grandmother's lemonade quite right yet so it will have to do."

"You made the sun tea?"

"Something else Adele thought I should learn I guess."

Sookie sat and watched Eric retrieve glasses form the cupboard and the tea from the fridge, more confused than ever. He seemed so at home, it was almost eerie. Why would her Gran be teaching Eric about sun tea, and lemonade and paper bags? Why would she have asked him to housesit, and do odd jobs? Had she been lonely? Had she and Jason been neglecting her? And speaking of Jason,

"Has my brother been by this past week?"

"That's Jason, right?" Eric put a glass down on the table in front of Sookie. "No, I haven't seen him."

Sookie cursed under her breath, which wasn't very ladylike but she was angry with her brother.

"He told me he'd been out just a few days ago."

"Maybe he lost track of the time?" Eric offered helpfully.

"Well it's very kind of you to make excuses for him, but he probably got distracted again, he does that when pretty things in short skirts cross his path."

Eric just nodded.

"But how is it that I've never seen you around before Eric?"

"I just show up on the days that your Gran asks me too. Usually Mondays and Fridays, except for the last few days."

"Days I'm always at work or away." She mused.

"Maybe your Gran didn't want us to meet?"

"More likely she didn't want me to see how much help she really needed around here. She probably figured I'd feel guilty about not being here." Sookie sighed.

"Well, it sure is a big yard to mow and gardens to keep up. It's a lot of work." Eric offered, "our Gran did such a great job just on the house, but some days she'd be so tired from the day before that I'd get here to get started and Adele wouldn't even be up yet."

"Really?" Sookie screwed up her eyebrows at hearing that, her Gran had always been the first one up every day, even when there was no reason to be. Coffee was brewing and the windows were opened, and often times Sookie could find her in the garden before she herself had even gotten out of her pajamas.

"More so in the last month or so."

Sookie took a sip of the almost forgotten tea. It sure was reminiscent of her Gran's. In the Louisiana heat she focused on a bead of water, condensed on the surface of the glass, running downwards to puddle on the tabletop. She wiped it away with her thumb, but other ones quickly replaced it. The tabletop was speckled Formica, not wood, so a little moisture wouldn't ruin the surface. That table had seen more than just spilled water. There had been flour and piecrusts, towels and washed berries for jam, stainless steel bowls of vegetables, not to mention tempera paints and glue for school projects. That table had been there as a part of her life lessons just as long as her Gran had been. Sookie swallowed a little sob, hiding it behind her hand. There were just so many things to try to process if she was going to have a hope in figuring out what had happened to her Gran.

"Is it okay?" She had forgotten Eric for just a moment when his voice pulled her back to the present.

"It's great. You did a really good job." Her bobbed her head up and down to show her appreciation.

"This was easier, I keep making the lemonade too sour."

"I'm not a big fan of lemon anyways."

"I won't bring out the lemon meringue pie then."

"You make pie too?"

"No, I just thought it would be funny to pretend I did."

Sookie swallowed back the sadness, knowing more tears wouldn't help with anything. She took another sip of tea.

"Was my Gran sick?" Sookie wasn't completely sure where that question had come from, but it suddenly popped into her head. She looked right at Eric, staring into his eyes, at his mouth, looking for any kind of wavering.

"Maybe." Eric's answer was quiet. "I didn't really think about it, I only saw her a few times a week."

"Yeah, me too." Sookie whispered.

They sat across from each other at the table for a few minutes in silence. The fear that had never really gone away (despite the distractions of speaking to Eric) came back like a cold hand gripping Sookie's heart. A warm hand made her shiver. Eric had reached over and taken her left hand in his right one, squeezing it carefully.

"Whatever has happened here wasn't your doing Sookie." He tensed, "Is it okay for me to call you Sookie?"

She nodded.

"You never noticed her changing?" He asked.

"No. God," She used her free hand to wipe away the threatening tears, her left hand still encircled by his strong one. "I should have paid more attention to her, I should never have moved into town. I should have come out to check on her more."

"Don't."

"Don't what?"

"Don't do that, making this your fault. I haven't known your Grandmother as long as you have but I get the impression she makes her own decisions, and that changing her mind isn't an easy thing."

"Nope, it sure isn't." Sookie had to laugh just a little at the characterization of her Gran, because it was spot on. Her Gran didn't suffer fools, and didn't take 'no' for an answer.

"Then just don't."

"I should call her doctor, find out if he knows anything."

"Good idea."

And it had been a good idea, except that the answering machine said that the office was going to be closed all day, that the doctor was doing housecalls, and that the receptionist would be back in at nine the next morning to book appointments. Sookie let her hand rest of the receiver of the phone for just a little too long after she hung up. Every time she thought she had a clue as to where her Gran had gone she ran into roadblocks. She took a few deep breaths with her eyes closed, trying not to let the anxiety get the best of her.

"There's someone coming up the drive." Eric said. He'd absented himself while Sookie had made the call, not that there were many places in the little house where you couldn't overhear phone calls. But he'd returned from the porch. "It looks like a work truck."

Hoyt was stepping down from the cab when Sookie made it to the porch.

"Sookie!" He called out across the yard; Hoyt had parked in the front car park. "Jason's on his way, we just heard from Andy about your Gran."

Hoyt was a lanky boy, a lanky man, Sookie always saw him as the boy he'd been in school, it was hard to picture him grown up, and Hoyt's mannerisms helped out in that respect. On the surface he was happy go lucky, following Jason around, getting his share of attention; he was a good looking boy too, but he was never quite so free with his affections (Gran had used that expression), as Jason was. So, he had standards. His touch was another one that didn't make Sookie's skin crawl, and that was good as he mounded the porch steps, which creaked a bit under his weight, and wrapped her in a solid bear hug.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

It was hard to respond as Jason tore into the yard, mostly sideways, coming to a stop half on the gravel, half on the grass. He flung his truck door open and starting yelling.

"Where is he?"

In his own way Jason jumped to conclusions just as quickly as Sookie; but for different reasons. Jason always figured a show of force, and a fight if it came to it, could solve most problems. In Bon Temps, he was more right than wrong with that assumption.

"I guess he means me?" Eric stepped out the screen door carefully closing it behind himself so it didn't slam.

"If he did anything to Gran!" Jason obviously hadn't looked up to see Eric as he stalked over the house, because when he did, he stopped. It seemed he was gauging his chances of taking Eric in a fight. Sookie had her own ideas about who might win that one.

"Jason, this is Eric. He's been very kind, trying to help me figure out where Gran went."

"Oh, well, okay then." Jason had been given the out to back down, and he took it. "So, does he know?"

"No he doesn't." Eric said for himself.

"And you don't either Jason. She's been gone more than a week now. Why didn't you come out and check on her while I was away?"

"Well, I mean, everything looked taken care of, I meant to."

"Neither of you should be fighting with each other." Hoyt, who was generally a quiet guy spoke up. "Andy is looking, is there anywhere else you guys could think of to go, or anyone you could call?"

"Gran didn't have any family left."

"Except Uncle Bartlett." Jason murmured.

"No family." She replied.

"We'll get Andy to go talk to him Sook." Hoyt offered as he squeezed Sookie's hand.

"She didn't go to him. She wouldn't."

"It's a lead. We have to."

"Do what you have to then, I have to go, I have to get to work." She whirled away from Hoyt, taking her hand from his. She didn't look back as she went back to her car and shut herself inside. She heard the trucks start up in sequence and roll out over the gravel with their muffled crackling sounds.

She didn't want to think about him, she worked so hard not to think about him. She and Gran had gone on as if he'd never existed. No one spoke of him in the house, there were no photos, no phone calls, and when the nightmares came Gran was always there, to show her the way out.

It was awkward, digging her car keys out of her jean pockets while sitting down, but with a bit of hip flexion Sookie managed it. She slid them into the ignition and turned expecting the car to protest but eventually start as it normally did. It groaned, rumbled and died. So she tried again, with a similar result. Dropping her head on the steering wheel she finally let the tears fall. A gentle tapping on her window caused her to look up.

"Can I help?" Eric shrugged his shoulders and tried to smile at her from outside her car. With a sigh, and after mopping the tears off her cheeks she swung the door open, and caught it as it nearly slammed back on her.

"I hate this car." She muttered.


	3. Chapter 3

Part 3

The cab of the truck smelled pretty good, and was really clean; very different than the parish truck Jason drove for work, and his own personal vehicle; both which had the windshield packed with the expected fast food wrappers, and receipts for gas, half empty coffee cups in the console, and the associated aromas that rose from such things and of unwashed men and overused body spray. Eric's truck was practically showroom new, or at least cared for as if it was. Sookie had no fear of touching the door handle or the seatbelt; or sitting on the seat itself.

Her car had adamantly refused to start despite her and Eric's best attempts; though both had admitted to minimal knowledge of cars as they had stared under the hood hoping something would jump out at them as obviously broken. It hadn't, and while Sookie had arranged for it to be towed to a garage in town Eric had put away the yard tools and retrieved his keys, offering to drive her to work. It had helped reduce that little bit of stress simmering about being late for work on top of everything else. She'd had to give Eric directions to the little complex where she lived, and she'd asked him in while she quickly changed for work, tidied her hair and applied her makeup, but he'd declined politely and waited for her on the porch. She'd told him that she could take a taxi from there, but he'd insisted that it would make him feel better to know she'd made it to the bar safely. Knowing he was waiting on her she hurried through her routines and while lacing up her shoes as she pushed out the door she nearly tripped over Eric, who was sitting on the edge of the planter waiting, long legs outstretched.

Once again he had to catch her, this time with both arms encircling her waist and holding her steady just above the concrete steps as if she'd been the partner in a tango. Her wide eyes (realizing just how close she'd come to really hurting herself) stared up into his, and watched his parted lips, her body feeling the way his breaths moved his solid shoulders through the fingers that clutched at her shirt. Sookie felt secure in the hasty embrace, as if her weight was nothing to him. One breath, then two, three and four passed, she looking at him, he looking down at her. Then suddenly realizing how much time had passed without a movement from either of them, Eric pulled her upright again, hands slowly retreating from their grip around her back once she was solidly on her feet.

"Are you okay?" He said, his voice sounding just a little breathless to her ears. She nodded feeling the same of herself.

"You look great." He smiled, nervously combing his hair off his forehead with his fingers.

"It's just my work stuff, but thanks." Sookie felt her face going a little red, and so she looked down to the ground so Eric wouldn't see. "I'll just fix my shoe and we can go."

She didn't see him bite his lower lip and close his eyes for just an instant as she did.

Once again she had to give Eric directions to get out to Merlotte's. It wasn't exactly in town, nor was it completely out of town, just somewhere in between with a large gravel parking lot, and Sam's trailer sort of tucked in to the left /back side of the building. Eric was mostly silent as he listened to, and then followed the path. He pulled up in the first open spot closest to the door and shut off the truck's engine. Sookie opened her door and slid out to the ground before Eric could come around and to do it for her.

"Will Hoyt come and pick you up after your shift?" He asked hesitantly.

"Um, yeah, I suppose he would if I called him." Sookie was a little confused why Eric had mentioned Hoyt; but she supposed even Eric could see that he was more reliable than her brother.

"Well, take my number just in case he can't. I'll just write it down for you." He rummaged around in the pocket of his denim shirt for a pen and a scrap of paper. "Call me if you need me, okay."

"Okay." Sookie nodded, taking the folded up paper Eric offered her. "Thanks."

"I'll see you later then?"

"Yeah. Yes, and call me if you hear anything from my Gran will you?" Sookie took the few steps up onto the little porch around the bar, half looking forward at the door, and half looking backwards at Eric, still standing by the bed of his truck.

"I sure will Sookie."

"I should give you my number then."

"No need," He grinned "Your Gran gave it to me awhile ago, and it's on her fridge in case I forget." He waved and climbed up into the cab of the truck, settling himself behind the wheel as Sookie watched; and she kept watching as he backed up, swung the truck around, and drove away.

She unfolded the little paper, Eric's number wasn't the only thing written on it, the other side had been used for something else. Turning it over she recognized the handwriting, her Gran's. It was a grocery list: some fruit, bread, milk, oatmeal, and ginger ale, something unusual for her Gran; she wasn't much for soda, but Sookie supposed that it might have been part of a recipe, or maybe it had been for Eric. Yet another confusing piece of a very large, very jumbled puzzle she still had to sort out. Refolding the paper she tucked it into the pocket of her black shorts and went inside.

"Sookie?" Sam was behind the bar polishing glasses, it was something he did to pass the time when he needed to think about something or when he wanted to think about nothing. "What are you doing here?" He asked.

"I'm here for my shift Sam."

"But Andy was in earlier, he told me about, about your Gran. I didn't think you'd be coming in." Sam put down the glass he had been working on, and the towel beside it.

"There isn't anything I can do right now Sam. Jason and Hoyt are looking around town and asking around, Andy is looking for her car, and I called her doctor already and he isn't in. I had to tow my car to the garage and I can't just sit at home making phone calls. I need to be here Sam or I'm going to sit at home and worry."

"Then here is where you should be I guess." He picked up the glass again. "And what did you say about your car?"

Sookie never got a chance to answer that question as Arlene walked in the front door.

"And who was that tall, blond and handsome drink of water Sookie?"

"You're mixing your idioms Arlene." Sookie might not have done well in school but it didn't mean that she was dumb. She read, a lot, and challenged herself with word of the day calendars and quiz shows.

"Well whatever he is, he sure could be husband number three." Arlene smirked. "Where did you find him?"

"He's a handyman,"

"I'll say." Arlene was still staring at door as if Eric was going to walk right through it in response to her mental summoning of him.

"Gran hired him to help look after things at the house."

Things got a little uncomfortable then.

"Oh God Sookie, I'm sorry, your Gran." Arlene turned to really look at Sookie and began to stumble over her words (not to mention her feet). She rushed over with an odd little jaunt due to the high heels she was wearing, (which limited the length of her stride). Of course, it was a typical Arlene sort of motion. She threw her arms around her friend and hugged her so tightly that Sookie could smell the overabundance of hairspray keeping the curls in place, and feel the sharp edges of Arlene's overly large pendant against her chest. Sookie didn't doubt the sincerity of Arlene's embrace for a moment, but it felt awkward none-the-less as she looked past the mass of red to see Sam staring at her. Fortunately Arlene let her go after a few moments and straightened herself up, which gave Sookie a chance to breathe. She hurried off to Sam's office to stow her purse and grab up her apron.

"News gets around fast in Bon Temps doesn't it?" Sookie said, shrugging her shoulders. Sam could only nod in agreement, a resigned smile on his scruffy face.

"Are you sure you want to be here Sookie? Everybody is going to be asking questions, and not always kindly. Are you ready for that?"

"So they'll talk behind my back? So what's new Sam?"

He shook his head and smiled at her.

"If it gets to be too much just tap me on the shoulder and go hang out in the office, or tell me you have to go home and I'll call in someone else okay?"

"Yeah Sam, thanks." Sam was one of the good ones, and as Sookie put her own bag away she had a chance to reflect on just how many good people she had around her.

The evening was as difficult as Sookie imagined it might be. Most people lowered their voices as she came near to take or deliver orders, some couldn't make eye contact with her, but Sookie didn't need to hear what they were saying to understand it.

'That poor Stackhouse girl, she's lost everyone.' It was pity, not laced with malice; she was an outcast, not a pariah. They knew her parents had died when she'd just been a little girl, they knew that her Gran had been forced to take her and Jason in. (Not that her Gran had ever spoken a word to anyone about feeling put upon for her new role, she had loved having a full house again after Earl had died.) The town had known that something had come between Adele and her brother Bartlett, and though some might have suspected the truth of it, it was another thing left unsaid in Bon Temps. And now her Gran had disappeared and left her alone. Most people likely figured she was destined to be alone, possibly with a large number of cats. If nothing else, to make up for their whisperings, her tips were a little more generous that evening.

As she had the day before, Sookie kept her cellphone in the pocket of her work apron, she hadn't really expected it to ring, and it hadn't, not even from the mechanic, and that didn't bode well she figured. Jason hadn't come in either, and it was getting near ten o'clock, and the end of her shift. Weekdays Sam closed up around then, most everyone had to work the next day so the crowds thinned out by nine, which gave Sookie time to make up the sweet tea for the next day's lunch, and refill the condiments and napkins before close. It was good to be busy and she half didn't want to go home because she hadn't been to the library to get new books yet and she didn't think that anything on television would be able to distract her. She couldn't go out on her own to look around by then; one, it was dark, and two, she still had no car.

The little bell over the door rang, pulling Sookie from her musings behind the bar. It wasn't loud, and you hardly ever heard it over the din of customers and the music from the jukebox, but just then Merlotte's was pretty quiet. She looked up, as did everyone else left in the place. Not that he had looked rough before, but, um, wow, Arlene nearly dropped the bottle of ketchup she was trying to fill.

Eric was wearing a pair of light tan khaki pants, a button down collared light blue shirt with the sleeves just rolled midway up his forearm, his wrists were bare and well tanned. His hair was still a little messy, falling over his forehead, but those blue eyes just sparkled and his lips were curled into a shy sort of smile that made him look innocent, despite the confidence with which he carried himself.

"Hi Sookie." He came to take a seat at the bar, looking straight at her, not even seeming to notice the slight commotion his appearance was creating.

"Hello Eric. I didn't expect to see you again today." Sookie was pleased with how casual her voice sounded, almost like everything was normal and her hands weren't shaking under the bar.

"The garage called this evening, they say it's your alternator. They don't have the parts on hand, and I didn't know if you wanted me to give them the go ahead to get started or not. I figured I better check."

"You could have called me, you didn't have to drive all the way back here."

"Well, I wanted to make sure you had a safe ride home too, just in case Hoyt couldn't come. Your Gran will never forgive me if I leave you stranded." The shy smile turned into a grin that showed off his teeth.

"That's really kind of you. Actually I haven't seen Hoyt all day."

"Well then, good thing I'm here."

Sam had appeared from the back while Eric and Sookie had been talking. He moved, a little protectively to her side and eyed up Eric. Unlike Jason, he wasn't at all intimidated by the foot of height that Eric had on him. No, Sam had the personality of a mutt, fiercely loyal, defensive; ready for a fight if the situation called for one.

"Hi," Eric stuck out his hand, "you must be Sam. Adele told me all about you."

Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, I am so sorry that I didn't reply to everyone; RL got in the way, as it often does with such things. I sincerely appreciate that you all took your personal time to read my story, and to send me your reviews. You make my heart smile with your kind words.

Merick


	4. Chapter 4

Part 4

Eric had accepted a cup of coffee from Sam as Sookie finished tidying up. Sookie could see Sam eyeing him up, and Eric not actually minding a bit, as if he had nothing to hide, which Sookie figured he probably didn't. At least she wanted to believe that of Eric. Popping back into Sam's office she folded up her apron neatly (after removing everything from the pockets), and placed it in the bottom of the little basket Sam left for laundry. Merlotte's certainly wasn't large enough to warrant a service for such things. Sam took the basket back to his trailer when it got full and did it himself.

There was a little mirror in the office over the lockers Sam had installed for the ladies, Sookie checked her hair, smoothing a few strands flat atop her head, and decided that she looked a little pale (there wasn't much she could do about the weary look) and put on a little bit of lip gloss. Arlene had lingered in the short hallway that led from the bar, past the bathrooms and to Sam's office; in just the right spot to watch Eric a little longer. Sookie was a bit thankful for that; not that she was eying up Eric, but that Sookie had those few minutes to herself. She was sure Arlene would have said something about the lip-gloss; and that would have just made Sookie flustered when she got back to Eric. She really didn't want that. After all, she'd fallen (or fainted) twice on the man already, she could only imagine how helpless Eric must have thought she was, not even able to get home by herself. But part of her was a little flattered that he'd come back for her; sort of like the heroes in the trashy romance novels she read to escape. And then she stopped herself from thinking that way. Romance heroes weren't real, and everybody had secrets and vices and sins. Well, except maybe Hoyt, he was a pretty innocent guy, but definitely not a romance hero.

She passed Arlene in the hall, wished her a good night and went to sit beside Eric for a moment. He and Sam were talking about the challenges of running a bar. Sookie didn't want to interrupt.

"It's a lot for one person to manage; bills and stock, and HR. A little place like this, I can just about do it on my own. But a bigger place, like in Shreveport, you'd need help, probably a real accountant and a manager."

Eric was nodding thoughtfully. Sookie could see he was making mental notes as Sam spoke.

"Well thanks for the advice Sam." Eric stuck out his hand and Sam took it, a well-meaning smile and nod to accompany the handshake.

"Are you ready to leave Sookie?" Eric turned on his barstool to face Sookie, ever present grin, blond hair strands falling into his eyes again.

"Yes, thanks." Sookie half leaned past Eric and waved at Sam. "I'll see you on Thursday Sam? Unless you need me earlier?"

"I'll call if I do. Have a good night Sookie, you too Eric. Make sure she gets home safe." Sam's eyes narrowed just a little as he looked at Eric.

"I promise."

Standing, Sookie felt Eric's hand briefly light on her waist, just guiding her, then it slipped away.

"So, how was work?" Eric had gotten himself seated beside Sookie in the cab of his truck and was just about to turn the engine over, so he wasn't looking directly at her, but rather out the front windshield as he spoke.

"It was okay. Not as horrible as I thought it would be."

"Good to hear. Did you make a decision about your car?"

"Well, I think I better get it fixed; not like I can afford a new one. Hopefully the repair costs aren't as expensive as the replacement ones."

"Well we can find out tomorrow."

The truck's engine purred to life, Eric shifted it into reverse and turned to look over his shoulder to back up. He smiled at Sookie as his gaze passed by her. She felt herself reciprocating.

"And how was your day Eric?"

"Just did some tidying, watched some TV, made up a stew for dinner."

"Sounds nice."

"Yeah, it has been, I mean it's been relaxing and all, being out here."

"Good."

"Don't we sound like an old married couple just now eh?" Eric's glance was back out the front windshield as he prepared to pull out onto the county road; headlights reflecting off the leaves of the trees that bordered the road.

Sookie heard herself giggle a little nervously. She watched Eric's smile broaden, not really realizing that she'd been staring at him the whole time.

"So? Why didn't Hoyt come to pick you up after work?"

"I didn't actually ask him." She shrugged.

"But he's your boyfriend, he should just know to do that kind of thing."

"Hoyt isn't my boyfriend."

"He isn't? I just thought, when we were back at the house?"

"I've known him since I was little, since before my parents, I mean, he's my brother's best friend, I never really thought, and he never, sort of, asked, I mean, I don't know." Sookie knew that she must have sounded quite scattered, unable to finish any sentence or any thought. But truthfully that was exactly how she felt. "I don't have a boyfriend." She finally said: feeling more than just self-conscious as she did. Being single was part of the way she was judged by the people in Bon Temps. She wasn't anyone's girlfriend, wasn't anyone's ex-girlfriend, nobody quite knew what to do with her in that regard.

"Well then the men in this town are idiots." Eric said under his breath.

Sookie didn't answer, she wasn't quite sure if she was supposed to hear that statement or not. Inside though, it made her feel a little warm. There certainly had never been much whispering of that sort around her. Boys her age (maybe because they'd been frightened of Jason) had never approached her in school; probably the whisperings of their parents that kept them away from the 'odd' Stackhouse girl. And as she had aged, she'd certainly had attention; but mostly because of her body type, big breasts, nice curves at her hips, not because of who she was; 'perky', she'd heard that more than once. No one who talked to her came across as particularly sincere, except for Hoyt, and for Sam, at least when they asked you a question they genuinely wanted an answer.

Eric hadn't needed directions to get back to her place and the ride was over far more quickly than Sookie had wanted it to be. She was faced with trying to determine how she was going to pass the time till she could fall asleep, alone. Eric pulled the truck into one of the visitor parking spaces and that time Sookie waited until he came around to her side to open the door; lingering in that in between realm where she didn't have to think about her Gran, or her anxiety or the men of Bon Temps, or even what she was going to have for dinner that night before she went to bed. The warm air dispelling the air-conditioned cab forced her out of it.

"Do you have any plans for the rest of the evening Sookie?" Eric offered her a hand to step out of the truck.

"Just going to make some toast or something for my dinner."

"Toast? That's not much of a dinner."

"I haven't been to the grocery store since I got back; so I just have a loaf of bread I thawed out and some preserves. I'm not much into tinned soups or packaged pasta."

"Well you can't survive on that. Come back to the house, I have lots of stew left, and that way I can take you to the market in the morning, and over to the garage."

"But I'm sure you have things to do Eric."

"I was going to run into Shreveport, but I can just make some calls instead. Go and grab up a bag and your pajamas, and let me take you back to your Grandmother's place. I owe her that much, to look after you. You know she'd be unhappy if she found out you weren't looking after yourself."

Sookie sighed. Eric was right, and she was tired, and the though of being back in her old bedroom, and just that little bit closer to her Gran was comforting. She nodded, feeling that familiar warmth run through her as Eric smiled at her.

"Good. Can I help you fetch anything?"

"Um, no, I think I'll be okay. I'll be right back."

It turned out that Eric was quite a good cook; not that Sookie had been worried about that; he could do a bit of everything it seemed; except repair little foreign cars that was. He was gracious enough to plate dinner for her, and provide rolls and butter, as well as a coke. He even sat down and joined her in a second dinner for himself so that he wasn't just staring at her as she ate: not that she hadn't caught him looking her way quite a bit, perhaps a little worried about his culinary skills. But being tired; both from work and the full belly, Sookie didn't much mind.

"It's really good." She assured him with a smile.

"Thanks."

"Where did you learn to cook?"

He spooned the last bit into his mouth, smiled crookedly, swallowed and answered.

"The army."

"You were in the army?"

"Yeah. Came home about 6 months ago."

"Wow. Were you overseas?"

He nodded.

"Do you talk about it?" Sookie wasn't sure if she should ask the question or just drop the subject, but the latter choice seemed a bit rude, as if she didn't think that serving his country was important.

"Not much, it wasn't nice over there, but I did my job and then I came home, which is better than a lot of guys got to do." The response sounded just a little rehearsed but not insincere.

"And now you're a handyman?"

"Needed something to fill the time since my discharge and the next adventure." He took a long drink from the glass of water in front of himself.

"And what's the next adventure then?"

"I was thinking of opening up a Bar in Shreveport."

"So that's why you were talking to Sam?"

"Always good to get advice from someone who's been there."

"And he's a really good boss." Sookie added, as if to reinforce whatever advice Sam had provided.

"Maybe one day you can tell me what he does that makes him a good boss?"

"Well, this is the only job I've ever had, so I don't know if I can compare him to anyone else."

"This is your first job?"

"Yeah, I mean, I know how to do other stuff, I just never had a real job before Sam."

"I guess your Grandmother kept you busy?"

"She did, and I used to have some trouble being around a lot of people at once. It made working pretty hard."

"Well you wouldn't know."

"You're kind Eric, but you've already had to pick me up twice when I got flustered. I know I still have bad moments. It's okay."

"We all have bad moments Sookie."

"Yeah." Looking down at her plate Sookie realized that she'd been pushing around a bay leaf with her fork absentmindedly as she'd been speaking, and it had created an odd little pattern of swirls on the china. She was a little surprised at her own candor.

"Fireworks." She heard him say out of the blue.

"I'm sorry?" She looked back up at him.

"Fireworks. Guess that's my Kryptonite."

Sookie was still confused, and it seemed as if Eric understood because he clarified.

"I went to a ball game as soon as I got back, they had fireworks at the end of the game. Just about completely lost it, the sound of the explosions threw me right back there."

Eric didn't have to explain where 'there' was.

"How did you manage?"

"I had a friend there with me, her name's Pam."

"Oh, your girlfriend."

Eric began to laugh.

"Pam isn't my girlfriend, just my friend. She has, different tastes."

"Oh."

"Pam helped calm me down, got me out of there so I could breath again. She knows how to part a crowd pretty quickly. So you see?"

"Yeah. Thanks. You're good at making people feel better. Has anyone every told you that?"

"I guess I'd make a good bartender then?"

"Yeah, you sure will."

"Well that's step one. I'm going to have to send a few emails tonight and reschedule those meetings, if you don't mind me leaving you for a bit?"

"No, of course not, I should make a list for myself too, so I know what I need to do tomorrow, so I don't forget anything, and I don't waste too much of your time."

"Let me clean up the table for you then." Eric reached for her empty plate. "And don't worry about wasting my time." He put the dishes into the sink with a bit of a clatter. "Nothing about you is a waste of time."


	5. Chapter 5

Part 5

The list started out with the hope of order, but as Sookie thought of more and more things it became a maze of circled numbers and arrows as she tried to sort out what needed to be done first, and what could wait. And, of course, a great deal of that order depended upon the time that offices and shops opened. She had to go and see Gran's doctor; she wasn't going to call, showing up in person would make it so much harder to turn her away. She had to call or go by the garage and see how much it would cost to fix her car; and she had to figure out a way to pay for it. Her savings account was a little depleted after the trip, but hopefully they would let her make payments. She needed to get some groceries, and she needed to go by the Sheriff's station to see if Andy had found out anything. She had to call Jason, to see what he and Hoyt had gotten up to. She wanted to go by the church and see if the pastor or any of the ladies had any ideas. She really hoped that somehow Gran had just mixed up her days, and had run off on a bus trip to see some museum or historical site; thinking Sookie was going to be away longer. Lying there in her old room, the sounds of the house she'd known since she was small surrounding her, her old quilt wrapped over her knees, Sookie felt just a little bit of comfort that everything would turn out okay. In the dark she lay down and finally fell asleep.

Morning came as it often did, just a little too early, and with just a little too much dread about opening her eyes. But, unlike her apartment, which was a little musty smelling and not at all quiet, the smell of fresh brewed coffee and the birdsong woke her, no car engines, no slamming doors, and no voices hollering at each other. It was just that little bit easier to rouse her tired muscles and stretch out her arms to get the blood and oxygen flowing with a good yawn. Without really considering her situation Sookie opened up the door to her room and wandered to the kitchen in her faded nightshirt. Perhaps Gran's house just bred a certain comfort and familiarity because Eric was also in the kitchen, a pair of cotton pajama pants slung around his hips, no shirt, an iPod tucked into the pocket, buds plugged into his ears. (Sookie recognized the color of the cords.) He was swaying just a little to the music, his back turned to her as he worked over the stove. She watched him with a little smile as he moved, unaware of her, their conversation of the past night coming back to her: about them being like an old married couple. Maybe this was what married people did? Maybe this was what it was like to be completely comfortable in your own skin? It wasn't something Sookie could remember feeling, but something Eric obviously had mastered; even with the difficulties he'd talked about the night before. It was hard not to be transfixed by him and by the way his body moved. He was beautiful. He spun slowly, frying pan in his one hand, spatula in the other. His eyes settled on Sookie and he flashed her the biggest smile she'd ever seen.

"Good morning." He said just a little too loud owing to the music in his ears. "Pancakes?" He held the pan up a little to demonstrate what he'd been cooking.

"Thanks, that'd be nice." She replied, nodding her head just in case he couldn't hear her. He shoveled a couple onto one of the two plates on the table, and returned to the stove where he poured more batter into the pan and set those to cooking.

He pulled out one earbud with his free hand, and poured Sookie a coffee from the old percolator with the other.

"I have to warn you, they're just a mix."

"They smell great. So does the coffee. Thank you Eric."

He grinned, curling up the right side of his mouth as he did so.

"My pleasure. So?" he poured himself a cup. "What are we doing today?"

"I made a list."

"Excellent. That makes it easier."

"I want to go to see Gran's doctor first. If you say she was sleeping more, and didn't have her normal energy levels then I want to talk to him. Then I have to see the mechanic, and then find Jason."

"All right. Then after breakfast I'll wash up so I look presentable."

Sookie found it sweet that Eric assumed that she'd want him at her side when she talked to everyone; mostly because she really did. As organized as her list (in its messy form) made her feel about everything she had to tackle, she didn't know if she'd be able to hear bad news from anyone without him there. She offered him first crack at the shower; the old pipes didn't put up with too high a demand for water pressure without expressing their displeasure with trickling water just when you were trying to wash the shampoo out of your eyes. Besides, there was only one shower anyways. Eric had tried to be gallant about it, but Sookie had insisted, and asked for a second cup of coffee, which strengthened her case for waiting.

Once she heard the water start running she got up from the kitchen table and with her half full mug still in her hands, Sookie began to wander around the house looking at everything in the morning light, remembering how it had been when she lived there. The curtains begged to be opened, and so she did. She would have throw up a few windows as well, but she knew they'd only be going out soon and they'd have to be shut again against any possibility of rain, and bugs of course. Houseflies were particularly bothersome, crawling about over clean things, especially in the kitchen. It still looked like home, smelled like home; especially with the aroma of the coffee Gran always bought wafting up from the mug. Her feet padded over the worn wooden slat floor, polished after years of steps and furniture and washing. The circle rug still lay in front of the fireplace; the one Sookie had laid out cards on for games with Jason when they'd been small, the one where she'd bundled herself in front of the warmth after coming in from the school bus, the one that Gran herself had got down on to pick her up from when the tears had been too much. It was threadbare; much like the quilts on their beds, and probably couldn't survive another round with a carpet brush without falling apart completely. And it probably desperately needed a clean that it wasn't going to get.

"Penny for your thought?" Came the quiet inquiry from behind her. The voice was so soothing that Sookie didn't even start at hearing it.

"Just remembering."

"Good things I hope?"

"Some."

"Lots of hot water left." Eric offered as Sookie turned slowly to face him; it was rude to have a conversation with someone and not actually make eye contact. But it wasn't his eyes Sookie came face to face with.

Now Sookie had seem Eric without his shirt on, maybe more than she'd seen him with it, but she'd never seen him in just a towel; and Sookie and Gran being smaller people, they didn't have a lot of bath sheets around. There was a strip of skin on his right leg peeking out from where the towel was precariously wrapped; his right hand holding the knot tightly against accident. Sookie took in a slow breath, hoping her face hadn't turned completely flushed.

"Thanks." She meant to move around him to get to the now-vacated bathroom, but her feet didn't seem to want to move.

"I'll just get dressed and wait for you here then?" There might have been a lilt of amusement in his voice.

"Yeah, sure." Sookie shook herself, closed her eyes, and sighed. "I won't be long." And she wasn't.

She was embarrassed. It was hard to even look at Eric in the truck as they drove into town. What made it worse was that he didn't seem to be at all phased by what had happened; as if it'd been nothing at all. And that made Sookie feel even smaller. He was humming along to the radio, and tapping on the steering wheel as she tried not to look at him; tried but didn't succeed. Bad enough, the tasks of the day were twisting her gut into knots, but looking at his profile, his ease, his beauty; she wanted to burst into tears. Pulling into the drive of the small clinic where Gran's doctor work forced her to swallow it all, and rehearse the script she had for the doctor. Fortunately there were only two other cars in the lot; and the place turned out to be empty but for the nurse/receptionist, and, presumably, the doctor. Clutching her purse a little too tightly Sookie didn't wait for Eric but went in the front door, he just a few steps behind.

"Good morning, my name is Sookie Stackhouse, I need to speak with the doctor please." Sookie smiled at the young woman behind the desk. She was a new addition to the practice; probably about Jason's age, not long out of school, and perhaps a bit disappointed with her job; lacking the prestige of a hospital posting. Her smile was as false as the one Sookie used when folks wandered in ten minutes before close and wanted a full meal and a pitcher of beer to go with.

"Did you have an appointment?"

"No, but it's a rather urgent matter. About my Grandmother." Sookie added.

"Well, if you don't have an appointment," The girl began, barely looking up from the screen in front of her, "you'll have to wait."

"But there's no one here?"

"Well the doctor has a busy morning."

"I don't need much of his time."

"Well, if you want to have a seat I'll see."

"Hello." Eric, who had been previously standing by the door, not quite out of sight, (because six foot something could never be completely out of sight) but out of her sightline, stepped forward and put his hand on the tall counter she sat behind. She finally looked up; Sookie noting her eyes widening just a little and her jaw getting a little slack. Unconsciously the girl flipped her hair over her shoulder, it was as if Sookie didn't exist. And that, sadly, wasn't an unfamiliar feeling for her. "My friend here needs to speak to the doctor right now." That charming smile was turned on, full wattage and Sookie thought the girl might start undressing right there.

"Well of course, if it's important." Her dark eyes were glued to his blue ones. Sookie's discomfort was growing; as if she was intruding upon some kind of intimacy.

"Thank you." Eric's tone was low, perhaps best described as syrupy, Sookie could hear the way he was playing her to get what he wanted; well, what she wanted. At another time it might have bothered her; and it probably would, later, but just then Sookie was benefitting, and that was all that mattered.

"Why doesn't your friend come around this way?" Sookie was motioned towards the hallway that led to the exam rooms. Eric put his hand around Sookie's waist again, the wide smile turning to a sincere one as he looked into her face. It was easy to just sink a little bit against that strong hand.

"Let's go." He whispered. "Unless you want me to wait here?"

"No, come, please, I need you."

At that Eric curled Sookie's smaller hand into his larger one and followed her.

They'd been left in an exam room, Sookie had sat herself in the single well worn, orange upholstered chair while Eric hoisted himself onto the exam table with a crinkle of the white paper. The receptionist looked a little disappointed as she closed the door, but Eric kept beaming. Looking at him gave Sookie something else to focus on beyond the small, sterile room. She'd spent too many hours in little rooms like this, in the beginning, before the rooms had changed into ones with soft couches and little waterfalls in bowls, where all you had to do was talk, or draw, or breathe.

"Thanks." She whispered to Eric. It just didn't seen right to speak loudly in there, as least without the doctor around. He nodded and reached for her hand. There was a rustling outside the door and it swung inwards, the doctor walked in without looking up from the manila file he was carrying.

"Miss Stackhouse? What seems to be the problem?" Only then did he look up and spot Eric.

"Well hello?" The man's gaze ping-ponged back and forth between Sookie and Eric, his brow wrinkling, as he apparently made some assumptions about their motives for the hasty appointment.

"So Sookie, here for birth control then?"

"Oh. My. No. Um." She could feel her face getting beet red. Eric dropped her hand and slid down from the table, offering his hand to the doctor.

"Eric Northman, I'm a friend of the family. We're here about Adele Stackhouse." It gave Sookie a moment to compose herself.

"Adele?"

"Yes, my Grandmother. Has she been sick Doctor?" The script was abbreviated.

The pause before his answer said more than Sookie had wanted to hear.

"Ah Sookie," his voice was suddenly quieter than she was used to. He was a man who relished the authority that came with the MD after his name. Not that it was a bad thing, mostly. He was used to being the one with answers, and happy to demonstrate his knowledge by dispensing his diagnoses.

"You should ask your Grandmother Sookie."

"I can't."

"I know it's an uncomfortable conversation to have Sookie."

"You don't understand. She's gone."

"Gone?" That seemed to have surprised him even more than finding Eric in the room with her.

"For over a week now, I don't know what's happened to her. You need to tell me what's going on."

"Sookie, I can't, confidentiality rules and all. I'm not allowed."

"I don't think you understand the seriousness of the situation sir." Eric chimed in.

"Young man, I understand a great deal more than you do."

"Then perhaps you understand why we need to find her?"

"Look, Sookie," the older man's gaze turned back to Sookie, still sitting in the orange chair. "Go and talk to the Sheriff, get him to get some kind of order, from a judge, then I'll be able to tell you what's been going on."

"Then that's what we'll do. And we'll be back." Eric offered his hand back to Sookie. She was even more grateful then to take it then.

"I'm sorry." Sookie heard the whisper from the doctor as Eric guided her out of the room. She felt numb, again, all the anxiety rushing back. Her Gran had been sick, what if she'd had an accident, or died, somewhere alone, where Sookie couldn't find her, couldn't help her.

"Sookie?" Eric's voice sounded as muffled as if it had come from the end of a very long tunnel. She felt him squeeze her hand tightly. "Hop up in the truck, I'm going to take you to the Sheriff's office right now." She nodded thanks and somehow managed to buckle her seatbelt. The scene outside the windshield was blurred by the tears that had welled up in her eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

Part 6

Convincing Andy Bellefleur that he needed to call a judge to get an order for disclosure of private medical information had been a task and a half. It had begun with a quiet request from the civilian side of the desk, and ended in the Sheriff's office with a flood of tears and an obviously uncomfortable Andy promising he would call someone all the while pushing handfuls of Kleenex towards Sookie. With the door open she could hear his gruff voice ordering Kevin to try to find a local lawyer who might know a judge, presumably in Shreveport, or even New Orleans. It wasn't that Bon Temps was wholly peaceful and law abiding, but honestly, the worst Andy had gotten up to during his tenure had been a few overnights in the cells for some drunks, and a lot of stern 'talking to's' between horrified mothers (some silent fathers) and teenagers. Sookie could recall sitting in the front while Gran and Jason had had one of those talks: only one though. Not that Jason had changed his ways; he'd just gotten smarter about not getting caught.

Jason.

She needed to call him. But not while she could barely catch a breath through her stuffed up nose, and not while her attempts at forming sentences were still getting caught by sobs. Eric's hands were on her shoulders, he'd never left her side, but he was keeping very quiet, letting her get 'it' out of her system. Pitching a wad of tissues into the garbage can that Andy had slid over beside her with his foot, she bit down on her lower lip and forced a few long breaths through her teeth.

"Mr. Northman?" Andy was calling Eric from out in the hall; she couldn't really blame him for not wanting to deal with her.

"I'll be right back." Eric leaned down and whispered in her ear. She felt herself nod in answer. Digging through her purse Sookie pulled out her phone and tried to dial Jason. It went to voice mail after four rings: he probably hadn't heard it. It was a nice day, the road crew was probably busy; that or he had the radio turned up loud in the truck. She left a quick message; not that he ever checked those.

"It's Sookie, call me."

Eric returned as she was tucking away the phone.

"It's going to take a few hours at least to find someone to issue this order. The Sheriff has promised to call the me the minute he has something."

Not that Sookie had expected an immediate answer, but the disappointment still clutched at her heart making her chest ache.

"He says you can stay here as long as you need to, but between you and me, he's just being polite. We should leave, go somewhere else to wait for news."

"Okay."

"Where do you want to go?"

She shook her head, not really knowing what to do with herself.

"Can I have your list?"

Eric drove her to the garage first. A check in a little compact (that Gran had given her) ensured that she'd covered the tearstains well enough to be out in public again. Her car was going to take about a week to fix; and it wasn't going to cost her her firstborn child at least. The pastor, while offering a warm hand and the promise of prayers had no ideas about where Gran had gotten to, and neither did the ladies who were there in the hall, preparing for the weekly Spaghetti dinner. And, Sookie figured, they were just as likely to be speculating about Adele's whereabouts as they were about Eric's blue eyes and broad shoulders. But any talk had to be helpful Sookie figured.

The grocery store was scratched off the list, Sookie couldn't think about what it was she wanted, or needed, or even if she was hungry. But Eric insisted that she should try to eat something, and instead of driving back to Gran's house he pulled into the lot at Merlotte's and insisted that he buy her lunch. Sam and Arlene were kind enough not to ask how things had been going when they saw the look in her eyes, and only provided sweet tea and hamburgers and some peace and quiet. Sookie ate, tasting very little of the meal, washing it down out of habit. She was about to suggest going out to look for Jason when Eric's phone rang; he looked at the screen, looked back at her to confirm that it was the Sheriff's office with a little nod, and then answered it. The conversation was brief.

"He'll meet us there." Eric said, pulling a twenty from his wallet and leaving it on the table. Sookie reached for his hand; finding it just where she hoped it would be.

Jason hadn't returned her call by the time the small group had been ushered into the doctor's private office. The busy waiting room stared, not that Sookie could blame them; whether it was from upset that their wait was going to be longer, or just insane curiosity about why the Sheriff was there, Sookie knew that more gossip was going to be the likely result. Sookie sat but Andy and Eric sort of hovered over her; or loomed at least in Andy's case. The doctor, a nervous sort of look on his face had been waiting, Andy had likely warned him that they were on their way.

He flipped open a chart without really looking at it and presented Sookie with a tight lipped smile. Andy handed over a formal looking letter that the doctor didn't even bother to unfold.

"Sookie, your Grandmother came to see me a few months back. She was feeling short of breath and as if she didn't have as much energy as she used to."

"Well she's getting older, and it has been very humid lately." Andy offered, trying in his awkward way to be helpful.

"And we certainly discussed that, Mrs. Stackhouse and I. But after a quick examination I could see that her legs and arms were also looking a little swollen. After I listened to her heart I got a better idea of what was going on. Some quick blood tests confirmed that your Grandmother was suffering from Congestive Heart Failure."

"Heart failure?" Sookie felt the blood draining from her face.

"Congestive Heart Failure. Basically your Grandmother's heart isn't pumping as well as it should. Fluid can build up in the tissues, like arms and legs, and sometimes the lungs. There's a great deal of medical terminology I could get into but the bottom line is that all this fluid is taxing your Grandmother's heart, and it's wearing out."

"Can we do anything to cure this?" Sookie was the only one in the room to respond to the doctor.

"We can manage symptoms, but no, the heart doesn't really heal that way. We can make it easier to breathe and she can take pills to help move the liquid. In fact I asked her to consider home oxygen, but she refused."

"She just didn't want me to see it when I came over."

"She agreed to take the water pills, and to slow down."

"So she hired Eric here." Sookie felt that same strong hand come down to rest on her shoulder, gently squeezing it. "Was it helping?"

"The last time I spoke with her she seemed to be managing. I can't say she was getting better, but she didn't seem worse Sookie. I was trying to get her to agree to go for some more tests. She said she'd think about it. I haven't heard from her since."

"So you have no idea where she could have gone?"

"I don't, but I will have Maudette out front call the hospitals. It could be that she finally decided to go for those tests, or perhaps she was admitted and wasn't able to let anyone know."

"Oh God." Sookie's voice came out as a squeak: she cursed herself inwardly for sounding so helpless.

"You were going to do that weren't you Sheriff?" Eric had turned to look at Andy, his hand still resting on Sookie's shoulder.

"I asked Kevin to do it, but he hasn't reported to me about anything yet."

"Maudette will have an easier time of it anyways, with Adele being my patient there are a lot fewer questions to answer."

"Thank you Doctor. I appreciate anything you can do to help."

"I'm so sorry Sookie. I'll call you as soon as I hear anything."

"Let me give you my number as well Doctor." Eric offered.

"You can give it to Maudette out front."

"I will."

"Someone should find Jason." Sookie heard herself mutter. "He's not answering my calls."

"I'll find out where his crew is today Sookie, do you want me to have him call you?" Andy was sounding decidedly uncomfortable again.

"Just tell him to come by the house please Sheriff, and thank you."

The doctor closed up his manila file and folded his hands atop it.

It hadn't been a rude dismissal, but it was a dismissal none-the-less. Sookie felt herself stand on wooden feet and leave the office and found herself outside, leaning against Eric's truck alone for a few minutes. Not for the first time everything felt numb. She couldn't feel her fingertips, or her lips, or her legs. If she'd taken the time to think about it she probably would have wondered how she was even standing. As it was, she only managed to spare a few seconds to consider if she was having some kind of seizure, because it didn't feel like a faint, or even a panic attack. She didn't get a chance to decide which of those it was because Eric came out the door to the office, flinging it open with just a little too much vigor, eyes searching for her, a slightly concerned look on his face. That look softened just a little as he set his eyes on her, and he tried to smile, but it came out more like a pursed little frown; at least to Sookie.

"Let's get you home. I'm sure your brother will be there soon."

Eric had waited patiently till she got herself settled before turning over the engine and pulling out of the lot. They'd gone about a mile and a half in relative silence until that was broken by the sound of Eric's phone. He thumbed a button on a pad clipped to his visor (something Sookie had never noticed before) and spoke out loud.

"Eric here."

"Well thank God!" Came the crackling voice from the small speaker. "Where the hell have you been?"

"Hello Pam."

"Don't hello me, you have been ignoring my texts and emails for two days."

"I've been a little busy Pam."

"Busy being a grounds keeper. I doubt it." Her tone, muffled as it was, was laced with anger. "Just tell me you haven't let this little country girl distract you from what's important."

"Sookie is actually in the truck with me right now Pam."

"Good, then she can listen in as I tell you that you need to get your ass out of her bed and up to Shreveport to get these lease papers signed, or we are going to lose this place!"

"Pam!" Eric looked a little mortified, but even hearing the accusation over the phone didn't phase Sookie. That numbness from her extremities had permeated her chest.

"Look Eric, I know it is just a crappy storefront in a strip mall, but it's a place to start. The approval on the bank loan is going to run out in less than a week, we cannot go back to square one, I will not go back to square one, not even for you."

"I understand Pam."

"I am making the appointment; you had damn well better answer me when I text you the details."

"I will Pam."

She hung up on him without another word.

"She sounds upset. Are you worried?" Sookie noted with a flat affect.

"That's how she always sounds, if she sounded nice that's when I'd be worried."

"What does she want you to go and see?"

"A place for the bar. It really is a crappy little hole, used to be a video store I think, been out of business and vacant for a few years. But the price is in our range, or within the range that the bank is willing to give us."

"You should go."

"Not until we know what's going on with your Grandmother."

"You don't have to put your life on hold for us Eric."

"My choice. Besides, I don't even know when Pam will be able to get an appointment anyways, so we won't worry about it."


	7. Chapter 7

Thanks to everyone who pointed out the c & p issues, hopefully this copy is cleaner.

Part 7

Jason pulled into the front of the house only a few minutes after Sookie and Eric had arrived; she heard the gravel being tossed around in the wheel wells of his truck as she was putting the kettle on the stove to boil. It was a habit of hers, well a habit from her Gran, making tea to soothe frayed nerves. Truly, she wasn't certain if she wanted tea, but it was a way to keep her hands busy, and to try to keep them from shaking. His feet pounded up the wooden porch stairs, the screen door squealed open and then slammed shut and he called out her name, coming to the kitchen before she could respond.

"What's going on Sook? Andy looked pissed off when he came by the crew." So apparently Andy had gone for the drive to find Jason and hadn't just called him on the walkie.

"It's Gran."

"That's what he said, but he wouldn't tell me anything else, said I had to talk to you." Jason's agitation was obvious; not in an angry way, directed at Sookie, but in his clipped words and panting breathing, as if he had run the whole way from the jobsite, and not driven it.

"He never did like dealing with the emotional side of things did he Jason?" Sookie sighed, letting her shoulders fall with the exhaled breath.

"I think it gives him indigestion. So, you tell me Sookie, what is going on?"

"Gran's sick Jason." He sat himself down with a bit of a thud at the kitchen table, she joined him but without the sound effects. Wrapping her hands together and resting them on the worn wood Sookie told Jason the story she herself hadn't quite come to terms with yet. To give him credit, he listened quietly, nodding at the appropriate parts so Sookie knew he understood what she had to say. He even reached out his hands at one point and held onto hers when her voice wavered.

"So what do we do now Sookie?" He whispered when she finished.

"We wait for the receptionist to call I guess?"

"That would be Maudette." Jason answered with an odd tone of voice. Sookie looked up at him, his face turning just a little flush.

"Oh God Jason, is there any woman in this parish that you haven't slept with?" Her tone was more exasperated than upset and she held up her hand when he started to answer, trying to curl her mouth into a smile and failing. "She'll call Eric."

"I bet she will." Jason muttered.

"That isn't being helpful Jason." That was scolding.

"Sorry."

"How could we both have missed this Jason?"

"I don't know Sook. I think she probably didn't want us to know. She wanted us to have our own lives; that's why she wanted you to move to town, get a job, do stuff."

"Sometimes you can be pretty wise Jason."

"Yeah."

"I guess we just wait then, wait for Maudette or Andy, or somebody to find out where she is."

"I guess. But if you want me to do something else Sook, you just tell me."

"Just answer my calls Jason, okay?" She looked right at him, a little exasperated, more than a little sad. It dawned on her then, that she might just be looking at the only family she had left, and she knew she was going to need him going forward; even if it was just an occasional Sunday dinner or Saturday barbeque kind of relationship.

"Yeah Sookie, I'm sorry about that, I'll try to do better." He got up and came around her side of the table, bending to give her a hug, wrapping his muscular arms around her and holding her to his chest. There was a comfort in the gesture that Sookie had missed, the feeling of family that she hadn't quite realized she'd been isolating herself from. She held him a little more tightly.

Sookie was sitting by herself at the kitchen table when Eric came down the stairs. She wasn't sure quite how much time had passed, the sun seemed a little lower in the sky, with shadows creeping across the kitchen counter with the lacey patterns of Gran's little window coverings. She felt hollow, and was sort of concentrating on that feeling, trying to decide if she was hungry, or exhausted, or miserable. It seemed as if it was a combination of the three. She looked up at Eric who tried to smile for her, but she was more focused on the phone he was holding in his hand.

"She called." He half whispered.

"Pam?"

"Maudette."

A cold shiver ran the length of Sookie's body. She felt Eric's hand slip around her shoulder; it almost seemed natural there now. She nodded, trying to communicate to him that she was ready to hear whatever the news was, and he understood.

"Your Grandmother is in the hospital in Shreveport."

"She's alive?"

"She's alive. But she's in the critical care unit right now."

Sookie took a very deep, slow breath, her hands curling into fists, her shoulders rising and falling with the inspiration and expiration.

"Can we go and see her?"

"In the morning, visiting hours end at 8, and we'll never make it by then." Eric's voice was quiet and even, as if he had practiced his response before coming to her.

"But she's alive?"

"Yes, she is, and comfortable according to the nurses Maudette spoke to. Her hospitalist is going to speak with the doctor as soon as he gets off his rounds."

Sookie felt herself nodding in agreement without really understanding what she was agreeing to.

"Can I do anything for you Sookie?"

"Maybe some tea, I think I need, I need to go lay down."

"Of course."

Her legs felt more stable than she actually thought they would, although 'felt' was probably not the right word to use, since she really didn't feel them at all. They were just there, holding her up, moving her out of the kitchen and towards the bedrooms somehow. She meant to go into her room, but instead she pushed open the door to her Gran's room, didn't turn on the light, and just curled up on the bed, her knees drawn up to her chest, waiting for tears: of relief, of fear, she wasn't sure which.

The voice from the kitchen sounded a little like it was coming from the end of a tunnel. She wondered if this was some sort of new anxiety attack; without the desperate hyperventilation and the panic. It was odd, hearing only half of a conversation, and not concentrating on that completely either.

"Yes, she's in hospital. Sookie and I will go out first thing."

"Yes, I'll let you know."

"You're welcome Jason."

"Yes I will. She's very important to me."

The following sounds were typical of Gran's kitchen. The tap running, the cupboard doors opening and closing, drawers squeaking and sticking a bit; she'd need to run some wax over those, the kettle whistling, and footsteps.

"Sookie? Are you awake?"

"Yeah."

The room was fairly dark by then, but Eric navigated inside, setting the teacup on the bedside table with the faint rattle of china. He sat down on the bed beside her gingerly, his hands resting in his lap.

"It's good news isn't it, about your Grandmother?"

"I don't know. What if she isn't awake Eric, what if she never wakes up, what if I never get the chance to tell her how much I love her?"

Then the tears started to roll, with Sookie making no effort to control them. They splashed over her cheeks onto the bedclothes.

"She knows you love her Sookie." Eric whispered, not actually looking at her as he said it. "She talked about you and your brother all the time. The stories always made her smile. I felt like I knew you before I ever met you."

"What if I never get to say goodbye?"

The pillow underneath her cheek smelled of her gran's shampoo, and the soft light filtering into the room through the slats of the closed blinds revealed the dust motes dancing, and for a moment Sookie wondered why Gran had left off the dusting long enough to let them swarm in the first place. At least she wondered that until she saw the untouched teacup on the table, and realized the weight around her waist wasn't a blanket; even though it was as warm and comforting as her Gran's quilts always were. She felt a gentle breath stir the hair that had fallen free of her ponytail as she slept. Understanding began to dawn, with a sense of forgotten serenity. For that moment she didn't want to move, didn't want to bring on the day, didn't want to bring forth the reality that had caused so many tears the night before. The arm over her waist clutched at her a little more closely, as if he was aware of her more rapid breathing. Hesitantly Sookie brushed her hand overtop of Eric's, curling her fingers around his. She heard his deep intake of breath, and then felt the sudden start of his body as his arm withdrew.

"Oh, no." He whispered, his weight shifting behind her on the mattress. "I'm so sorry, I must have fallen asleep, I didn't mean," his voice drifted off, obviously unsure what he should say.

She rolled over to look at him. His clothes were just as wrinkled as hers must be she figured, and his hair just as mussed. She tried to smile, because his expression was so distressed, but she could hardly manage it. It took great will to keep the tears from falling again.

"You stayed with me?"

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You fell asleep, but you were so restless, I thought I should stay. I didn't want you to fall off the bed, or hit anything." He sat up, straightening a shirt that had pulled up to reveal his abdomen. Sookie did the same, sitting, and then yanking out the askew elastic that was trying to hold her hair back. She combed it flat with her fingers as best she could, not able to meet those blue eyes that were staring at her.

"Thank you." Was her whispered response to those eyes.

"I'll just go change and make some coffee while you get ready and we'll go see your grandmother."

"Okay." Nodding she left him behind in her Gran's room.


	8. Chapter 8

Part 8

Hospitals made Sookie nervous; she'd had too many appointments at them, with the psychologist, in the beginning. Her Gran had understood the necessity of keeping such appointments away from the prying eyes of Bon Temps. (Not that Bon Temps had anything more to offer than the small medical clinic she and Eric had visited the other day). Gran had driven her to Shreveport once a week for three months; and while her absences at school had prompted some inquiry, Gran had refused to answer any questions about it from the school officials; telling them that Sookie was needed at home and that was that.

There was an antiseptic smell to the place as the doors opened with a little woosh. Sookie gripped Eric's hand a little more tightly, afraid she might throw up at the very feel of it in her throat. She knew she wasn't going to leave, as much as her gut wanted her to, not when she was so close to seeing her Gran again. Maudette had been kind enough (to Eric) to provide directions to the correct floor and with Eric in the lead they found the elevator and emerged into a small lobby; pale blue signs against a white wall directing people towards the nursing stations.

As always, Eric drew the attention from the staff, not that Sookie was surprised. She was grateful in fact because it allowed her to take advantage of his height and broad chest to hide herself away from the healthcare workers in their scrubs and lab coats.

"This way." He whispered, urging her to follow him down a short hallway to their right. He hadn't spoken much since they'd left Bon Temps, just checking that she was cool enough in the car (it had been a muggy morning, portending a storm to come), and did she want a coffee or anything? It hadn't been hard to sort out how uncomfortable he was with they way they had woken up. Sookie though, had far more important things to spend her anxiety on; and the two Ativan she'd taken before her shower, had left her a little chemically numb, so she hadn't spoken much either. At least her feet were pretty stable under her as she followed Eric, and then stepped past him as he held open the room door for her.

The space was the antithesis of Gran's bedroom at home. Metals rails on the bed, worn, waffle-weave blankets of solid colors that had been washed pale by multiple trips through industrial machines, no pictures on the walls: just sharps containers, and boxes of gloves and hand sanitizers. The curtains were brown, the floor linoleum, and her Gran, in the midst of it didn't seem quite real without her patchwork quilt and her hair braided against tangles. She seemed as pale as the sheets, an oxygen mask over her mouth and nose, the green elastics tight against the skin of her cheeks, fastened against accidental dislodgement. Her arms were bundled into the aforementioned waffle weave blanket, unmoving. The sounds of the machines threatened to become oppressive; the oxygen flowing, the IV pump ticking away putting fluids into her arm, the counting of every drop with a mechanical precision that seemed so dystopian: the world began to spin as Eric's arms caught her up.

"Oh Gran." With the whimper, Sookie began to wonder if her voice had ever sounded strong before. Right then she couldn't remember any instance of confidence at all. Reaching out, she slipped back the blanket (it didn't feel soft, just sort of stiff, not right at all), and sought out her Grandmother's hand, curling her fingers around the warm, but limp fingers. It wasn't worth wiping away the tears that rolled down her cheek.

"Let me go and see if the doctor can come in and speak to you." Eric whispered.

"Don't leave, please. Not yet Eric. I don't think I can do this by myself."

Sookie didn't have to see or hear a response from him. His presence at her side was enough, and his hand resting on her waist. He had no idea how much she needed that just to keep her upright.

"Hey Gran." Her voice shook as she tried to speak: it seemed like the right thing to do. It wasn't as if her Gran was telepathic and could just 'know' that Sookie was there. "I've missed you. Can you wake up for me?"

Of course nothing happened, the machines sounded the same, and her Gran's fingers remained slack.

"She doesn't look uncomfortable." Eric tried to offer.

"No, you're right." Sookie kept her eyes on her Gran, even though she knew it was rude (and her Gran would have told her so), not to look at the person who was talking to her.

"I don't know a lot about the monitors, but everything seems even, like, with her breathing and her heart beat."

"I guess."

"I wonder if they've given her something to help her sleep?"

"Maybe?"

"I should really get the doctor."

"If she'd been here all this time, and had been awake, don't you think she would have asked them to call me? Or Jason? Or someone?" Sookie knew she wasn't answering Eric: she was just giving voice to her anxiety.

"I really couldn't say. I'm sorry." He tried to be so helpful in answering her.

"I just need her to wake up Eric. I need to know what's going on."

"Let me go ask about getting her doctor here Sookie. I promise I won't be gone long."

"Yeah, okay, yeah, that's a good idea."

Somewhere Sookie knew that she wasn't sounding all that rational, that her answers probably sounded as cloudy as they felt when she said them. She was quite sure though, that she felt cold when Eric departed, and that her fingers felt wooden when she lowered down the rail on the right side of the bed so that she could get a little closer to her Gran. She brushed some hair off of her forehead and tucked it behind her ear, then straightened the sheets she'd disturbed by seeking out her hand.

"I'm here Gran, I'm sorry it took me so long. I didn't know where to look for you. Why didn't you tell me what was going on?" A little sob slipped out when Sookie paused.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound rude or angry. Oh Gran. I'm just so scared."

She heard the sound of something being dragged along the floor towards her. Eric was back, a wooden chair in tow.

"Sit down." He urged her. "It'll probably be a little bit before the doctor gets here anyways." The phone in his pocket buzzed, he ignored it to get Sookie settled.

"You should answer that." She whispered.

"I will, in a minute."

"It's probably Pam."

"Yup, probably is."

His hands lingered on her shoulders as the phone rang, and as Sookie got herself settled into the chair, close enough to still hold onto her Gran but with a little more stability. As Eric stepped away she let her head rest down onto that stiff blanket, and let her eyes close. She could hear Eric, just at the doorway, trying to be quiet through his conversation. She tried hard not to listen in, but her mind went to his part of the one-sided conversation over the rhythmic chiming of the machines.

"At the hospital."

"Yes it's important."

"No, I don't have to tell you every time I come into town."

"Ten o'clock tomorrow."

"Yes I know, bank loans, time limits."

"Yes."

"Fine."

Despite what seemed like an unwanted conversation, Eric kept his voice even, his tone low in deference to his location, and probably to Sookie. He signed off politely and came back into the room, though he was not alone when he did.

"Mr. and Mrs. Stackhouse?"

The doctor was young, and looked a little tired. His collar was half turned up on the right side, and Sookie felt the urge to straighten it though she didn't. He had a tablet in his left hand and the fingers of his right were dancing over it without quite looking up at her and Eric. She heard Eric cough a little, but he didn't correct the doctor's misassumption about who they were and neither did she.

"How is my Gran sir?" She asked, as respectfully as she could muster, considering that his white coat was making her hands tremble.

"She's doing alright." He finally looked up from the little screen and took in his fill of Sookie at Adele's beside, and Eric, poised, protectively over her. "Responding pretty well to treatment, and stable at the moment."

"Why isn't she waking up?"

"We have her on a mild sedative, when she came in she was in distress, we started her on some serious steroids and some other treatments to ease the burden on her heart. But doing so was taxing her system, so we made the decision to let her rest properly through the worst of it."

"How did she get here doctor?" Eric asked.

"She came through the Emergency department, but my understanding is," he scrolled over a few pages on the tablet, "that she had an appointment here for some tests, but passed out partway through the procedure."

"Oh." Sookie whimpered, clutching tighter at her grip to her Gran.

"Was she hurt doctor, when she passed out?" Eric spoke again, his own touch on Sookie's shoulder tightening.

"A bump on the head, but nothing serious. In fact, we should be able to start weaning her off the sedatives today, as long as her ECG stays stable."

"So she'll wake up?"

"This evening, or tomorrow morning for certain. I'll just go and send those orders for the nurses, unless you had any other questions?"

"Not just yet, thank you, thank you so much for looking after her." Sookie knew the tears were starting to glisten again. "She's really important to me. I don't know what I'd do," then she stopped. The doctor probably heard this type of thing all the time, he was dong his job, he didn't need to hear people whimpering, taking his time away from other patients.

"Thank you." She said one last time, curling her lips into a weak smile and nodding at him.

"I'll have the nurses come in in a little while to change the drip."

Eric had persuaded Sookie to get up to have a little walk in the afternoon. They'd been there for a number of hours and she'd hardly moved from her Gran's bedside; despite the lack of acknowledgment of her presence. He had wandered around the floor a little, but, Sookie noticed, never far enough away that he couldn't hear her if she moved the chair, or spoke out loud. He was always quick to return, the concern on his face growing each time. She agreed to go down to the cafeteria as much for him (because he must have been terribly bored), as for herself.

They stayed about an hour, enough time to have some soup, a cup of coffee and a little guarded conversation. It was hard though, as Sookie kept darting her eyes about, staying aware of her surroundings as if she expected some type of trouble. Her discomfort was palpable, and Eric tried to keep his hand close to hers, even if he didn't actively reach out to cover it, or pull it into his. Steering clear of Adele as a topic of conversation, as well as the issue of how they had woken up, they talked a bit about the weather, the heavy air from the morning seemed to be rolling into a storm, and the small televisions placed around the walls showed a weather feed that warned about rain. Sookie steered the conversation towards Pam, and Eric admitted that she'd set up a meeting with their prospective landlord for the following day. Neither of them stopped to consider any plans as to how that was going to be accomplished, though Sookie encouraged him to attend. He brushed it off, (not cruelly) saying he would figure it out somehow. He seemed nearly as distracted as Sookie seemed to be. When they ran out of things to say to each other Eric tidied up their dishes and they went back.

They took the stairs back up to Gran's floor, and even before they got to her door it was easy to hear voices from her room; men's voices. One voice Sookie would never, ever forget. She pushed through the door, fear and anger mixing in her blood, sadness about the new tension between her and Eric quickly banished.

"What the hell is he doing here?" She wouldn't, couldn't look at the older man who was standing between her brother and her Gran.

"I thought he should know sis, he's her brother." Jason looked a little bewildered at Sookie's outburst, but Sookie knew that wasn't altogether strange. Her brother was a kind man, but sometimes a little unaware.

"Gran doesn't have a brother anymore. She hasn't talked to him in fifteen years."

"Yeah, but."

"Sookie?" Her uncle Bartlett turned slowly. He was still an imposing man, if not so much physically anymore. It was the memory that threatened to cripple her. His face was a bit more withered than Sookie remembered, his skin a little greyer. His shoulders and arms still looked strong, he was probably still chopping wood and hunting and fishing. Alcohol had taken its toll though, with thicker features and a tremor in his hands when he reached for her. She took a few steps backwards, running smack into Eric's chest.

"Get out." She tried to sound stronger than she felt just then, clenching her jaw.

"Sookie, I'm worried about her too." His voice made her skin crawl, she fought against passing out; feeling her heart begin to race.

"You don't get that right."

"She's my sister." Bartlett took a step forward, his hand out as if to grab Sookie by the wrist.

"Don't touch me!" Sookie hissed, trying to step further away, finding herself stumbling over Eric awkwardly. It was his arms that wrapped her up, picked her up, and moved her to the side.

"Sookie, what's wrong." Bartlett didn't seem to be concerned about halting his advance.

"The lady said not to touch her." Eric warned.

"Why are you upset with me girl?" Half a step ended in Bartlett on his rear on the white floor, Eric pulling back a balled up fist.

"The lady said not to touch her. If you come near her again you'll find yourself in a hospital bed too."

The purple blush was quickly spreading across Bartlett's jaw as he held one hand to it, the other to the floor to keep himself from rolling over backwards as he tried to get his bearings again. Jason was frozen for a moment, then, looking up at Sookie, went to help his uncle up off the floor.

"Sookie and I will be back in the morning, you had better not be here old man, and I had better not see you in Bon Temps or near Sookie ever again." Eric held out his hand and Sookie took it.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" Eric's voice was low, they were in the cab of his truck, driving back towards Bon Temps as the rain began pattering down on the road in front of them, smearing the windshield and robbing them of the remaining daylight.

Sookie was wringing her hands in her lap; she hadn't really wanted to leave the hospital, well, she had, she didn't want to be near Bartlett, but she had hated leaving her Gran. There hadn't been any good choice. She felt guilty and angry and terrified all at the same time, and she was wishing for one of her little pills, but was also a little scared to have Eric see her taking it. It took everything just to keep herself from shaking so violently that Eric might have thought she was having a seizure. He had seen almost the worst of her, and he'd stayed despite it, and he'd defended her without even knowing why he'd had to. She reasoned that if anyone could hear the truth of what had happened, she figured Eric was the one.

"When I was a girl," she began, "he used to touch me."

Eric's knuckles went white on the steering wheel, and his eyes blazed wide. He kept staring forward but Sookie could see the violence in the breaths that made his chest heave, even in the dim light of the cab. She made no effort to stop the tears from rolling down her face.

"I didn't know what to do, I didn't know how to stop him. It was Gran who figured it out, Gran who made him go away, Gran who protected me."

"Oh Sookie."

"I try to be strong."

"I understand. I really do. That kind of thing, it can," He swallowed a sob of his own, "it can stay with you for a long, long time. Can I ask? Did you ever go to the police?"

"No, Gran talked to me about it, but back then, you just didn't do those things. It was bad enough the way people treated me when I withdrew and started at the smallest sound, and after my parents died. She didn't want me to be the subject of their stares, or pity or disgust. We kept it between ourselves, her and me. All the doctor's appointments were in Shreveport, nothing in Bon Temps. Being taken out of school was to help at home, not because I couldn't stop crying long enough to leave the house. Missing community events were because I was under the weather, or she was. She did what she thought was right."

"You could still go to the police, and I know a good lawyer Sookie."

"Maybe, someday, I don't know if I have the strength to do that."

"You had the strength to spend a whole day in that hospital. I could see how rough it was for you; I didn't completely understand why, but now that I do, I know just how strong you are."

"I can't make that kind of decision now Eric. Please don't be upset with me because of it."

"I would never be upset with you Sookie." He took a deep breath. "Never. But if I see that man again, Bartlett was it? I will kill him."

The storm became the only noise in the car from that point all the way to Bon Temps.

Turning into the drive the house lights had come on, it was quite dark out by then with the black clouds and the driving rain obscuring the sky. Eric pulled the truck around the back, and both of them were surprised to see Sookie's little hatchback in her typical parking space. He pulled in beside it.

"I don't understand?" Sookie was confused, but almost a little relieved to have something else to focus on just then, besides the fact that Eric seemed unable to look at her in the eye. She stepped out of the truck (not waiting for Eric to open the door), and darted up the back steps to the covered porch. There was an envelope taped to the back door. She pulled it off, but didn't open it till she had the door unlocked, and both her and Eric safely inside, out of the rain.

He said nothing, only watching her hands as she tore the white, slightly soggy paper. Her car key fell out to the floor, but she left it there as she unfolded the letter.

"Hey Sookie,

I was by the garage today and your car was ready so I had one of the guys help me bring it home for you. I paid the bill. You can pay me back whenever you get the money.

Hoyt"

"Wow." Sookie bent to retrieve the fallen key, rolling it over in her hand a few times.

"That man really loves you Sookie." Eric's voice had little of its usual strength.

"Hoyt? No, he doesn't."

"It's easy to see. And he seems like a good guy."

"He is a good guy. Always has been."

"Did you ever talk to him about what happened?"

Sookie shook her head.

"I've never told anyone."

The kitchen saw suddenly illuminated by a flash of lightening, followed a few seconds later by the clap of thunder that made the floor rumble. Eric started to move towards Sookie but stopped himself.

"I should go pack up some stuff then, I should probably head back out to meet Pam tonight."

"Yeah." Sookie nodded, "You don't want to miss that."

They moved awkwardly around each other so that Eric could get to the back stairs; both of them mostly looking down at the floor. Gabbing up a tissue from the box on the counter Sookie went to the living room and sat herself down on Gran's old chair, closing her eyes (since she couldn't see past the tears in them anyways), and dropped her head into her lap. There was just too much to think about and her heart was already racing at a furious pace.

Her Gran was alive. She'd told Eric about Bartlett. Eric had hit her uncle in defense of her before he even knew what he was defending her for. Hoyt had brought back her car, and paid the bill. Eric said Hoyt was in love with her. She'd woken up with Eric's arms around her; only Hoyt (outside Gran and Jason) had ever put their arms around her. She'd known Hoyt all her life; she'd known Eric for only a few days. And now Eric was leaving, going back to Shreveport, and she didn't even know if he was ever coming back. And she knew there was no way she was going to be able to deal with it all without falling apart.


	9. Chapter 9

The squeaking of the back stairs forced Sookie to look up from her position, curled in the old chair. Eric was in the doorway to the kitchen, his army duffle bag in his left hand, just looking at her there without coming closer. He seemed miserable, perhaps not as miserable as Sookie imaged that she looked, but unhappy none-the-less.

"I'm going to get going I guess." His beautiful blue eyes focused back onto the floor as he spoke, his shoulders slumped forward, his tee shirt was only half tucked into his jeans, he looked altogether a mess.

"Yeah." Sookie was able to whisper without choking.

"You've got your car back now, so you don't need me to get to the hospital in the morning right?"

"Yeah, I can manage." Sookie didn't really think she was going to be able to manage much of anything all of a sudden, but she knew that she shouldn't hold him back from leaving: that he had his own life to live, one he'd already put on hold for her. (As much as she wanted to scream out "don't go!" as he started to turn away from her.)

"I'll, umm, call you, or text you tomorrow, just to see how things are, okay?" He said, mostly to the empty kitchen.

"Thank you, yes."

"Okay then, well, I guess I'll see you later Sookie."

She couldn't even muster the strength to bid him any kind of farewell, and she was sort of glad that he wasn't looking at her just then, because she must have looked an awful fright with her tearstained cheeks and swollen lips. She heard the screen door in the kitchen squeak open, then the wooden one shut, with the muffled screen banging behind it. Somewhere in the noise of the rain the truck engine started up and Sookie stood, stepping forward as if on wooden feet to the front door, finding herself opening it and going out onto the porch, beside the slowly crumbling wicker chairs there, watching Eric drive off down the lane.

"Please?" She spoke to no one, as his taillights grew smaller; obscured by the rain and the increasing distance. Her hands found the railing and she clutched at it till her knuckles turned white, letting her head sag from her shoulders. It stayed there, rain dripping down onto her from the eaves until she heard the truck brakes squeal to life, and the sound of the gravel being tossed around as Eric threw the truck into reverse with a shriek, backing up in hastes as she watched, pulling into the little square of lawn that Gran kept for visitors to park in. The driver's door was thrown open and Eric launched himself out, slamming it behind himself, running towards her on the porch. Sookie wiped the tears from her cheeks angrily and stepped out onto the steps and into the full rain.

"Did you forget something?" She called out as soon as he was close enough to hear her.

"I can't just leave." He said, stopping only a few inches in front of her. "Not without at least knowing what it feels like to kiss you Sookie Stackhouse."

He paused just a moment in case she objected, but, surrounded by confusion, and sorrow and desperation, Sookie did not move away from him, or raise her arms to stop him, instead, she half jumped, half fell towards him, feeling herself caught in strong arms and lifted to meet his hungry mouth. His lips ground against hers, were parted, tasted, he only pulling back to catch a breath then joining again, rain drenching them both till they were quite sodden.

His smile was nothing like the covers of the romance novels from the library that Sookie busied herself with. It was childish, and honest, with his teeth showing, and his eyes gleaming, like it was Christmas morning. She couldn't help herself but to emulate it with a little laugh.

"You're soaking wet Mr. Northman."

"So are you Miss Stackhouse." He still hadn't let her go; their bodies pressed close together in the storm, water running down their faces and backs in rivulets.

"Will you please come back inside?" She asked.

"Oh yes."

It was a stumbling sort of gait, each of them unwilling to let the other go completely as they tried to make their way back up the three porch steps, through the door and into the house. They left puddles of water on the floor, but neither stopped to consider them as they embraced again in front of the stone hearth of the fireplace, Sookie tipping her head back to receive another deep kiss from Eric; her knees nearly buckling at the intensity of his body pressed against hers. She held herself to him, letting her fingers trace over the corded muscles of his back, easily felt through the shirt that clung to him like a second skin. His mouth traced its way from hers, along her jaw, allowing him to curl his head to her neck, and to whisper to her.

"I want you so much."

He tears began again.

"I don't want to do anything that might hurt you. I would never hurt you." Eric's words tumbled out, which seemed so unusual for him. He had always presented himself with such confidence, to be at a loss for it then, well, Sookie found it so very honest.

"I trust you." She whispered back, letting her hands run along his sides, and bringing them to his waist where she cautiously tugged at the hem of his tee shirt. He cast it way fluidly, never taking his eyes from hers. His smile might not have been the thing of a cover model, but his body was, it always had been. For the first time Sookie reached out for him with a need other than panic, her hands caressing his skin, feeling as if she finally had the permission to be honest about the desires that had been simmering. Without warning she felt herself swept up into his arms, pressed into that chest.

"Your room?" he asked of her, and she nodded.

Eric set her on her feet just before the bed, and only turned away long enough to close the door even though the house was empty save them. Without his touch her sundress felt terribly cold and wet; and she, just a little self-conscious about slipping the straps from her shoulders even in the relative dark. Fumbling with the bow at the front Sookie loosened the bodice, aware of Eric's eyes on her. Pulling it free she let the dress slip down to the floor, her arms covering her breasts as modestly as she could. Starting to turn away from him his hands came lightly to her shoulders and held her as he looked into her face, his lips parted with stuttered breaths.

"You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Please don't be frightened of me. I won't do anything you don't want. I'll even leave now if you ask."

"Don't leave."

Sookie's room wasn't large, enough space for the bed, the trunk at its foot, a nightstand and a dresser against the far wall. Two steps backwards and she was able to lay back on the bed, Eric following, hovering over her, the space of only a breath between them as he leaned in to kiss her again, softly, slowly, as deeply passionate as the first, but without the frenzy and desperation. It was a prelude, a promise of how every touch would be and Sookie was able to release her tensions and relax into the quilt beneath her, feeling its comfort as Eric's hips rolled gently against hers, his soft moan making her tremble.

"Are you cold?"

She shook her head with a little smile, brushing her fingers over his cheek.

"I want you too."

That grin, his grin with his teeth showing and his eyes sparkling was back, along with his mouth, soft lips and whetted tongue tracing carefully from her mouth down her neck as she arched for him, between her collarbones, and onto her chest, his fingers guiding the progression, linking under the elastic of her lace, pulling them away from her body. She closed her eyes. When next she felt his body on hers there was nothing between them and she stifled a small gasp, not wanting him to misunderstand her surprise for fear.

"Your heart is hammering like a trapped bird Sookie." His hands were back on her chest, his lips brushing against her ear as he spoke to her. Trembling fingers looped around the back of his neck, curling into the damp hair there, holding him to her as she pressed her hips back against him, hoping he would understand when words failed her. His responses hummed against her skin as he spoke through the kisses he placed there.

"I want to be inside you."

The muted cry was hers, as again her whole body trembled beneath him.

"I should go and find some," She wouldn't let him finish his sentence, stopping his mouth with her fingers.

"Nothing between us." She whispered as his smile grew. He pulled the tips of her fingers into his mouth, suckling them, closing his own eyes, his right hand sliding down between them, curling inwards past her thigh, gently coaxing her legs apart. His touch was insistent, yet gentle, asking her permission with his grace, and with his hesitancy, even as he brushed himself against her, waiting out her moan before he pushed, entering her with his own long exhale.

His motions were gentle, his hands slipping beneath her, pulling the small of her back into a round, bringing her closer, she, taking him deeper. Sookie could hear Eric breathing between parted lips; or were those her own attempts to keep from hyperventilating? It was hard to tell as their bodies began to synchronize. Light-headedness threatened to consume her, but Sookie wasn't afraid. This wasn't panic, it was glorious and she let it wash over her, wrapping her arms around Eric's back, locking her fingers, clinging to him as she gave in to the passions he brought to her.

In the midst of the fog that wrapped her, Sookie heard Eric's breath hitch and then she felt his back arch, still in her grip, and he became still, except where he was within her. After an instant he took a desperate deep breath and let his head slump onto her chest, warm panting followed, making her shiver once again. She wrapped her arms tighter, her fingers seeking out the curling hair at the nape of his neck, cooing to him, letting her own tensions abate.

"I can't leave you tonight." His voice was strong again, but peaceful. He said it as a fact, perhaps a little as an entreaty, but with the strength that Sookie had come to rely on over the past weeks. He rolled onto his side, his hand on her hip, pulling her over to face him atop the rumpled quilt.

"But you have to go to that meeting Eric." He caught up her hand as she was speaking, pressing the fingers to his lips as if he hadn't even been listening to her.

"Umm." He purred at her.

"Eric."

His tongue began to swirl over her fingers, making it very hard to concentrate.

"This is your dream Eric."

"Not anymore."

"Eric." She pulled her fingers away, mostly reluctantly and curved them under his chin, forcing his eyes to meet hers. The innocent grin was turning more mischievous.

"If we leave early enough in the morning I can still take you by the hospital and have plenty of time to meet Pam. If you want that."

"It's what you want Eric."

"Not anymore." He leaned forward and kissed her.

She held tightly to Eric's hand as they walked past the sliding doors of the hospital entrance. He still led the way, her anxiety hadn't abated just because they'd spent the night together, but she did feel a little more whole as he filled part of the empty spot that the absence of her Gran had left. He still drew the same attentions from the women they passed, but his grip on her hand remained just as tight, and the gentle kiss on her forehead as the elevator doors closed reassured her. She looked at her watch nervously.

"Do you still have enough time?"

"Plenty, Pam hasn't even started texting me with threats yet."

The only point where Sookie took the lead was in pushing open the door to her Grandmother's room, and Eric followed her in, to find Adele, sitting up in the bed, still pale looking, still moving slowly, but with her eyes opening as her face turned to see who her visitors were.

"Gran!"

The older woman's eyes crinkled a little when she smiled, her cheeks visibly regaining their color as she looked first at Sookie's face, then over to Eric's, and finally down at their clasped hands.

"I'm so glad you two found each other."

FIN


	10. Chapter 10

Epilogue:

It was amazing what tools had come out of her Gran's old shed, things Sookie couldn't recall ever seeing before, some that she didn't even know what use they had, but Eric did. Most had been her Grandfather's. Back then, as Gran liked to tell it, you knew how to fix everything in your house, and in your barn, and neighbours helped neighbours with such things. Well, Grandpa's tools certainly were helping out. During the day Eric had been loading them up, along with his own power tools and heading into Shreveport to work on the bar. Not one to take on more debt than he needed to, Eric was doing the balance of the renovations himself. Code stuff, like the electrical and plumbing he had had to hire someone for, but building the bar, and the dance floor, and changing up old office space for new, and storage space for bottles instead of video tapes was something he was well able to manage. Besides, as he had told Sookie, it was easier than trying to explain his vision to a contractor.

During the evening Eric had been fixing loose floorboards and rails around the house. And building a ramp up the porch steps for Gran to use with her wheelchair and walker. She still wasn't quite strong enough to go without the wheelchair for long trips, but could use the walker around the main floor of the house (she'd practiced in hospital). Besides, the doorways of the old farmhouse were a little narrow to manoeuver through with the chair, and she was still a bit stubborn about such things.

He'd also fixed the stairs up to the second floor, where his bedroom was, so they didn't squeak so much anymore. Gran wasn't daft, Sookie knew that, but she at least wanted to keep up the appearance that she was sleeping in her own room at night. She'd packed up her little apartment, which hadn't taken more room than the back of Eric's truck to fill, and moved home when the doctors had told them that her Gran was going to be able to come home from the hospital within a few weeks. Sam hadn't minded, and he'd forgiven her for all the work she'd missed. (And told her to stop apologizing, and that family always came first, numerous times.) She didn't quite have it sorted out how she was going to do her shifts, and Eric was going to manage the club after it opened, and someone was going to be available for her Gran. But funnily enough, it didn't bother her that she hadn't. Her little white pills had gone untouched for almost two weeks; as if the activity, and being home, and having Eric all sort of got bundled up together to relieve the anxiety she'd lived with for as long as she could remember.

She was arranging flowers in vases in the kitchen; so that the house would look alive and homey, when she heard Jason's truck pulling up the lane. He was being unusually slow in his approach so Sookie just knew that he must have had some precious cargo. Making sure to dry her hands, and tidy away all the stems she went out the porch and saw Jason unloading the walker from the back of the pickup and her Gran just stepping out of the passenger side.

"Wait for me Gran!" she called out, and went to help. "Last thing we need is for you to get tangled up and have a fall." She scolded, with a huge smile on her face. She got the portable oxygen tank tucked into the basket at the front of the walker, and made sure the tubing was clear so that Gran could slip down to the ground and get herself settled.

"I hate this blasted thing." Adele cursed at the tank.

"But you still have to use it Gran, all the time, or the doctor will be very cross."

"Well we certainly wouldn't want that would we Sookie?" Gran had developed a little bit of a sarcastic side during her time in hospital. To Sookie it meant that she was prepared to hang on, even if she'd already ensured herself that Sookie had someone else to look after her. One might be given to think that her Gran had planned the whole thing. But of course, she hadn't, had she?

With the little shuffle step common to navigating a wheeled walker, her Gran made her way up the new ramp; Eric had installed some grips on it so that if she did happen to stop or fumble, that things wouldn't all roll away. Sookie saw to getting her settled in her old chair, turning on the television for her, and getting her a glass of sweet tea and some cookies.

"Well you certainly have been busy around here Sookie." Her Gran remarked.

"Well I wanted everything to look nice for you when you got home." She crouched on the floor beside the arm of the worn chair. Her Gran put a hand over hers and squeezed gently.

"Thank you Sookie. I'm sorry to have caused you all such a fright."

Sookie just smiled, she didn't want to admit to her Gran just how lost she'd been when she'd hadn't known, and she didn't want to cause her Gran any more distress by letting her see it on her face. It was time to move past those things, so many of those old things. It wouldn't do anyone any good to bring them up. Sookie finally felt strong enough to do those things the psychiatrists had been talking to her about for so many years. It wasn't quite forgiveness, well, it was with her Gran, but it was acceptance. It probably helped that she knew now that if her Uncle ever showed up again that Eric would beat him bloody. It was petty, she admitted that, and prayed about it (a little), but that was okay too. (Why shouldn't he live with some fear?)

The back door opened: the screen didn't squeak so much anymore thanks to Eric. He wandered into the living room with a cookie is his mouth and one in his hand.

"Mrs. Stackhouse." He waved, with the cookie free hand and smiled.

"You had better call me Adele from now on young man."

"Of course Adele." Stepping closer he leaned over and gave Sookie a quick kiss on the forehead; then seemed think better of it, looking between Sookie and her grandmother, popping the second cookie into his mouth and chewing slowly.

"It is all right to kiss my granddaughter under my roof young man. This house needs to see more of that."

"I agree Gran." Sookie gave her Gran a kiss and excused herself to finish up in the kitchen. She wasn't quite out of earshot when she heard her Gran and Eric begin to talk.

"You've been a godsend young man."

"You should call me Eric too, especially if we are going to be living under the same roof. If that's okay with you Adele?"

"You've looked after this house and Sookie while I've been gone. And you make my granddaughter very happy Eric."

"She told you that?"

"She didn't have to. I can see it all over her. And we, the both of us need your help around here. So I expect you stay."

Sookie could just picture the sweet little smile her Gran was probably giving Eric right then, probably patting his hand as well. Working on getting her way, just like she always had.

"I'll do my best to earn the trust you and your Granddaughter have placed in me."

"You already have my dear."


End file.
